


Wendigo

by TinkerbellBleu



Series: The Ties That Bind [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: 16+, A+ Parenting, Action/Adventure, Alternate Timeline, Cliche, Dean Winchester - Freeform, Dean Winchester/Original Female Character - Freeform, Epistolary, F/M, Fanfiction, Fluff, Horror, Humor, Join The Hunt, Language, Major Character, Novella, Original Female Character - Freeform, Plot, Reboot, Rewrite, Sam Winchester - Freeform, Sass, Season 1, Series, Slow Burn, Snark, Subtext, Supernatural - Freeform, Team Free Will, Violence, Wendigo, arc, crosspost, hunting things, mostly canon, saving people, spoiler - Freeform, trope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2019-10-07 14:39:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 32,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17367755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinkerbellBleu/pseuds/TinkerbellBleu
Summary: The Ties That Bind ~ Season 1: Episode 2 "Wendigo"Sam, Dean, and Skye head to Colorado after receiving coordinates to a place called Blackwater Ridge from John. Once there, they must figure out who or what is snatching campers before any more go missing. Can Skye and Dean learn to get along? Can Sam refrain from locking them both in a closet until they sort out their issues? Will Gary Oldman ever win an Oscar? Find out in 'Wendigo'.Saving people, hunting things, the family business.Join the hunt.(And yes, Gary won an Oscar in 2018 for Best Actor. In case you were wondering.)





	1. Prologue

This is the revised edition of 'Wendigo'

The original can be found [here.](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1315217)

 

 

 

 

_The Personal Journal of Skye Winchester_

_I think I want to tell you now about the second job I ever worked, just a week after dealing with the Woman in White in Jericho. It’s not the most impressive job we worked, or the scariest, or the most fun. It does hold an important spot, though, as the first time the three of us really started working together as a team._  
_I’d only known Dean for just over two weeks at that point and Sam a week less than that, but time never seemed to matter with us._  
_Life is short and we lived quickly, for good or ill._  
_It was on this job, in the wilds of Colorado, that the relationship between Dean and I turned a corner, taking the first steps into what it would eventually become. It was on this job that we accepted that we were all in it for the long haul, come Hell or high water...and over the years we went through that too._  
_Literally_  
_It was on this job, deep in the forests of Colorado, that we became family._

 

_[The Ties That Bind ~ Behind the Scenes: Music, Character Bios and More](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1325171) _

 


	2. Chapter 1

November 10th - 14th, 2005

The mid-November sun reflected blindingly off the shiny black exterior of a 1967 Chevy Impala as it barreled down I-70 going a good twenty miles over the speed limit, just outside Grand Junction, Colorado. The 800 mile drive from Reno that should have taken eleven hours had taken nine, not counting two breaks for food and facilities.

A handsome leather-clad young man with dark hair, impossibly green eyes and a lead foot sat in the driver's seat, debating on whether or not to change the radio as Lit's 'Miserable' emanated from the speakers.

He reached for the Discman on the dash, every intention of hitting 'stop', when the diminutive brunette piped up from behind him, "Don't even think about it, Winchester. We had a deal, that radio is mine for another hour and forty-two minutes," smirking, she met his eyes in the rearview, holding up her wrist and tapping the face of the clunky black plastic watch she wore to emphasize how much time she had left, "Don't make a bet if you don't wanna pay up,"

Letting out a long suffering sigh, Dean put his hand back on the steering wheel, "This-this barely qualifies as music, Tink."

Okay really it wasn't that bad, all things considered. He had a feeling she was going easy on him by putting on something somewhat mild compared to some of the other stuff he knew she listened to. He should never have bought her that box of CDs.

Ha, too late now!

"Suck it up, Buttercup, you made the bet. I told you I could do it and you didn't fuckin' believe me. Got no one to blame but yourself," resuming reading from where she'd left off in the worn copy of 'The Shining' that she'd borrowed from Dean, she sang along to Mariah Carey's 'Fantasy' as it came on after Lit.

Gotta love those 'Best Of' CD compilations. Yay 90's! The man was just damn lucky she didn't put on Avenged Sevenfold or Marilyn Manson. Would have been entertaining to see his head spin around and fly off though.

He should never have taken that bet but he seriously hadn't expected her to be able to pull it off. They'd bet she couldn't field strip and reassemble Sam's Taurus. After all, she'd only read the manual and then watched Sam do it exactly once.

He had been wrong. He'd also been shocked at how quickly she'd done it, almost as fast as Dean himself and he'd been doing it for years. He was coming to realize exactly how scary fast the girl picked up new skills. She claimed learning was 'fun', proving their ideas of entertainment were vastly different.

Sam hadn't thought she could do it either but he hadn't been willing to to bet against her. They'd been getting along too well for that and he hadn't wanted to screw it up. They'd become fast friends since Sam had sobered up two days out of Palo Alto, bonding over True Crime documentaries and discussions of infamous serial killers, much to Dean's consternation.

They rode in silence for a few more miles before the pile of tan jacket and denim in the passenger seat jerked awake, sitting up and taking a ragged breath. The 6'5" behemoth of a man rubbed his eyes as his latest nightmare fled, leaving behind a handful of images.

_Jessica's grave._

_Fresh flowers._

_A hand reaching out of the newly turned earth to grab him, pulling him down._

_His fault..._

"You okay, Sammy?" Looking over at his brother, Dean managed to tone down the concern in his voice, trying not to let on how worried he really was about the man.

The first twenty-four hours after Jessica's death had been difficult to say the least. Sam had spent the time wasted on Jack Daniels. Do you know how much liquor it takes to get a man his size white girl wasted? Hint: A not insubstantial amount.

He'd been sober since then but he hadn't been sleeping, not coping at all well but trying to hide the extent of how bad it really was from his companions. Sam may claim Dean was in denial about a few things, like his ever-growing feelings for the girl in the backseat, but he certainly wasn't the only one. Running his hand through long brown hair in desperate need of a trim, Sam stifled a yawn, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Liar. He was totally not fine. He knew it. Dean knew it. Skye knew it. Hell, the people three states over knew it...actually, Hell probably knew it too, but we won't go there right now. Guilt weighed heavy on the big man's conscience but he wasn't about to burden them with it. If only he'd told Jess the truth. If only he'd come back sooner. If only...If. If. If.

_His fault…_

"Another nightmare?" Sliding forward, Skye sat on the edge of her seat, resting a hand on Sam's shoulder. It was only a few seconds, but that was kind of a big deal for her. Definitely a 'it's the thought that counts' move.

Managing a smile, Sam gave her fingers a quick squeeze before she pulled her hand back, smile widening as he noted how hard the girl tried not to wince at being touched. A few days ago, Skye had decided that she was going to get over her issues or die trying. With the boys help, she'd actually made some progress. A tiny tiny bit of progress, but any was better than none. It was more progress than Dean had made learning to Tango, anyway. Sam was a natural.

See, she'd decided on a kind of desensitization therapy and recruited the big lugs to help. Teaching them to dance, something she loved, was a good way to offset something she hated. It was helping.

Looking at his little brother, Dean tried to think of something he could say or do that might help. Being Dean, only one thing popped into his head, "Wanna drive for awhile?"

Translation: I love you and I'm worried about you. The Impala was Dean's baby. No one currently riding in that car had any doubt that he loved that thing more than he loved basically anything else ever, with perhaps the sole exceptions being Sammy and John. And cheeseburgers with extra onions.

Chuckling, Sam shook his head, the disbelief strong on his handsome features, "In your whole life, you have never once asked me that."

Knowing what that offer meant, Sam couldn't help feeling marginally better. It was a sweet gesture from a man that didn't do 'sweet'. Or feelings of any kind aside from anger and irritation. Wait, is lust a feeling? 'Cause he did that too. Sam had called Dean an emotionally stunted twelve-year-old on several occasions and, let's face it, he wasn't entirely wrong.

"Just thought you might want to," looking out the driver's side window, Dean hoped Sam wouldn't say anything about the offer. Fat chance, "never mind."

"Look, man, you're worried about me-"

Clearing her throat from the backseat, Skye wordlessly added herself to the roster of people that were worried about him.

"-both of you are worried about me. I get it, and thank you," twisting around in his seat, he looked back to smile at Skye, adding her into the conversation, "Thank you both, but I'm perfectly okay."

You know, if liar's pants really did catch on fire, all three of them would have heavily invested in fire extinguishers. Making simultaneous noises of disbelief, Skye and Dean took the hint and let the matter drop.

"I'll drive," Skye offered, already knowing what the answer would be.

"Over my dead body," It was a knee-jerk reply, Dean didn't realize quite what he'd said until Sam started laughing.

"Well, I mean I could, but Sam might protest," putting her book down on the seat next to her after marking her spot with a gas station receipt, she scooted forward enough to rest her arms on the back of the front seat, "And it might damage the car. Can't have that, now can we."

The smell of his leather jacket tickled her nose as he looked over his shoulder at her, "You think you're funny, don't you."

"I think I'm fuckin' hilarious," she replied, tweaking Dean's ear with a fingertip.

Swatting her hand away, he tried to think of a suitably scathing reply but couldn't come up with anything. Really, he was proud of such a small gesture. Just a week ago she'd never have thought to do such a thing. Such an annoying thing Oh well, small victories.

"Alright, where are we?" Reaching a long arm out, Sam snagged the map off the dashboard. He knew about where they should be, but confirming was never a bad idea.

"Just outside of Grand Junction, if the last sign we passed is to be believed. So far I'm not seein' anything terribly grand about it," she peered past Sam's broad shoulders at the map in his hands, disappointment coloring her words, "I've never been to Colorado, I was kinda hopin' for snow."

Probably a good thing she didn't get her wish, they weren't exactly outfitted for freezing weather. Holding the map up so she could see it, Sam talked over it to address his brother, skepticism and hope warring in his voice, "You think we'll find Dad here?"

They'd been hoping to find him in Jericho but that hadn't quite worked out, now had it. Maybe if they had, Jess… No, he couldn't think like that or he'd tear himself apart. Like he wasn't doing that already.

"I don't know, Sammy," Dean reached over and lowered the map so he could talk to him without it blocking his vision, "It's worth a shot though. Dad'll have answers, he'll know what to do."

It was going on a month now since John had gone missing, leaving his oldest son one voicemail in all that time. They knew he was off hunting the monster that had killed the boys' mom. The monster that had killed Jess. And that was all they knew, because John fucking Winchester isn't too good with the whole communication thing.

Dean's jaw twitched when Skye made a derisive noise in the back of her throat, making no bones about the fact that she was not John's biggest fan, in spite of the fact that she'd never met the man. From Dean's own stories she knew the man was an obsessive psychopath with no regard for anyone or anything that got in the way of his quest for vengeance. He'd raised his own kids to be soldiers. To be warriors. Taking two little boys and twisting them into killers, destroying any chance of a childhood or a normal life they ever had. She just couldn't understand the unshakeable faith Dean had in the man. But then, Dean wasn't quite sane himself.

"It's weird, man," Bewildered, Sam broke the silence, laying the open map down in his lap, "These coordinates he left us, this Blackwater Ridge…"

"What about it?" Looking over at him, Dean wondered what could be so puzzling about it.

"It's in the middle of bumfuck nowhere, that's what," Skye took the liberty of answering. She and Sam had discussed it just this morning and she'd known what he was going for when he'd spoken up.

"Pretty much, yeah," Sam nodded agreement as he folded up the map and tossed it back onto the dashboard, a brown and white sign reading 'Welcome to Lost Creek Colorado National Forest' flashing past his window, "There's nothing there. It's just woods."

"Why is John sending us to the middle of fuckin' nowhere?"

Nobody had an answer for her as Dean made the left turn onto the worn blacktop, following the window road that lead through a tunnel of towering evergreens, pulling up in front of an old log-cabin style ranger's station. A sign reading 'Ranger Station, Lost Creek Trail, Lost Creek National Forest' seemed entirely too repetitive, but it did its job announcing their location. The flag atop the pole in front of the station sat lifeless, not even a hint of a breeze stirring the still autumn air as the three occupants exited the car, doing a damn fine job at avoiding the dozen or so people milling around the place.

Rocking back on her heels, hands deep in the pockets of her denim jacket, Skye took a look around. Nature. Yeah, nope. Not a fan. Too much quiet. Too much opportunity to get lost in her own thoughts. Something she typically avoided at all costs. Catching up to the boys', she smiled up at Sam as he held the door for her, twitching the hem of his jacket as she walked by.

Also not a fan of nature, Dean hadn't bothered to stop and take a look at the scenery outside, eager to just get on with...whatever in the hell they were getting on with.

* * *

The inside of the ranger station was pretty much exactly what he'd expected. A desk on the far right covered in papers, maps and various brochures in rainbow hues. A few file cabinets and coolers against walls that were covered with charts, maps and news articles. Last but certainly not least, a pretty cool three dimensional terrain table dominated the middle of the small space.

Seriously, the thing was nifty. Going straight to the table, Sam examined it closely, hands on the sides as he leaned over it to get a good look. Taking a brief look around, Skye joined Sam at the table, standing on the opposite side as she peered down at it. She didn't know much about how to read maps and the like yet, but she'd learn.

"Blackwater Ridge is pretty remote," Sam didn't seem to much like what he saw as he pointed out specific areas, pitching his voice so his brother would have no trouble hearing as he explained the details to Skye, "It's cut off by these canyons here. There's rough terrain and dense forest here, and all these are abandoned silver and gold mines."

Nodding, she took in the details and filed the information away for later. If she ever saw a map like this one again, she'd have no trouble reading it. Or, at least, she wouldn't if it had canyons, forests and abandoned mines.

"Those mines are all over the place," she leaned over the table, finger tracing from one to another to another, "I saw 'My Bloody Valentine', those things are death traps."

"Guys, check out the size of this fuckin' bear," he tapped a framed picture of a very large grizzly before turning to Skye, pulling a hand out of his pocket to make a rude gesture, "That was a terrible movie. Here I thought you had taste."

"Did you just-was that a compliment, Winchester? Sam, pinch me, I must be dreamin'," she wrinkled her nose at Dean, teasing him. A vastly different tone than the one she'd have taken with him just a couple short weeks ago. She'd calmed down considerably since then, much less defensive and bitchy now than she had been. Remarkable how that seemed to coincide with her learning how to shoot a gun. She'd only been shooting a couple of times but like everything else, the girl was a natural. She really did seem to learn new skills and absorb information as easily as breathing. Kind of unnerving, really.

These days, she rarely went unarmed. No doubt she was packing even now, a little Sig Sauer 1911 Ultra Compact 9mm that Dean had customized for her with slim grips and a short trigger. Girl had tiny hands, don't you know. That certainly wasn't the only thing she carried. Seriously, she was armed to the teeth ever since Dean had bought her a variety of weapons. Being able to defend herself, at least a little, had done wonders for the girl. Hell, if having a dozen weapons hidden on her person made her feel safe enough to give a genuine smile once in awhile, the boys certainly weren't going to argue

Trying to call their attention to the matter at hand, Sam tried to impress upon them how dangerous a situation they could potentially be putting themselves in, "Guys, really. This isn't a nature hike, there are a dozen or more grizzlies in the area."

As if they weren't already knowingly going into the forest to track an unknown monster that was making off with unwary hikers. At least bears were a known threat.

"You kids aren't planning to go out near Blackwater Ridge by any chance?" The park ranger stepped into the room from his office in the back. At least, Skye assumed he was a ranger based on the uniform. Very Yogi Bear, except Ranger Smith hadn't worn a ball cap.

The troublesome trio turned to give the Ranger their full attention, the boys naturally taking up places on either side of Skye, a subconscious move to keep the most vulnerable member of their little pack protected. Sweet, aren't they.

"Oh no sir," Sam spoke up, the lie rolling easily off his tongue. Yeah, not at all obvious he'd done this kind of thing before, was it. Hell, lying was second nature, it was telling the truth that was difficult, "We're environmental study majors from UC Boulder. Just working on a paper."

Managing to turn a 'that's stupid' face into a smile, Dean held up a 'more power' fist, "Recycle, man."

Because that was believable. Turning to look up at him, eyes mocking though she managed to keep a straight face, Skye gave him a 'really' look that was plain as day. Resting a hand on her shoulder, he gently turned her back around to face the Ranger so he wouldn't have to see it. Even when she was laughing at him she was cute. Dammit.

Tensing under his hand, she forced herself to relax and breathe. He wasn't a threat. It was okay. Well, he wasn't a threat to  _her._

"Bullshit," the Ranger unexpectedly called their bluff, causing all three of them to stiffen for a second before he continued, gesturing with his coffee cup as he took a step toward them, "You're friends with that Hailey girl, aren't you?"

Dude sounded seriously exasperated, like he'd already put up with quite enough where this 'Hailey girl' was concerned. A 'what the hell' expression on his too-damn-pretty face, Dean took a shot in the dark. Reading the Ranger's badge, he replied, "Yes we are, Ranger Wilkins."

Taking a protective stance, he moved to stand between the Ranger and the girl, not even noticing he did so. To be fair, Skye didn't notice either. Sam did though. Looking away, he had to bite his tongue to keep from giggling like a little girl...Because let's face it, he can be kind of an ass.

"Well, I'll tell you exactly what I told her," the Ranger leaned back against the desk behind him, "Her brother filled out a backcountry permit saying he wouldn't be back from Blackwater until the 24th. It's not exactly a missing persons, now is it."

Shaking his head, the Ranger put down his coffee mug on the desk he was leaning against, "Tell that girl to quit worryin', I'm sure her brother's just fine."

"Man, that Hailey girl's quite a pistol, huh," Turning to follow the Ranger into his office, a smile on his face, Dean obviously had an idea, "You know what might help? If I could maybe show her a copy of that backcountry permit. You know, so she could see her brothers return date."

Looking hesitant, Ranger Wilkinson thought about it for a minute and for a second there, it looked like he was going to refuse.

"I know you're probably not supposed to give out that kind of information, sir, but-" Peering out from around Dean, she stepped out from behind him, gesturing to the two men flanking either side of her, "But I know it'd make me feel a whole lot better if one of my brother's was missin'. To see in his own hand that he put down he wouldn't be back yet, you know? It'd give me some peace of mind and I'm sure it would Hailey too. She's just so wrought up about it."

Dean had to admit, she did the whole 'sweet innocent' thing pretty damn well, the thick Okie accent she was laying on really sold it. Why did the entire Ranger station smell like honeysuckle? Surely her perfume wasn't  _that_ strong. He really needed to tell her to tone it down with that shit but, well, he liked it so he just hadn't found the time.

"You're right, I'm not supposed to," Ranger Wilkinson sighed, "Technically it's government property but...Alright, give me just a second to make you a copy."

With a shake of his head, he retrieved his empty coffee cup and disappeared into the office at the back of the station.

"Nice," Nudging her shoulder with an elbow, Sam gave his seal of approval. Seemed she didn't just learn quickly when an instruction manual was involved.

Hands tucked in her pockets, she smiled up at him, "Thanks Sasquatch, I'd like to think I'm catchin' on."

Without looking at her, Dean held out a hand for a high-five. Okay, well, a low-five. With her, everything had to be low. So goes the life of a short girl. Returning in short order, Ranger Wilkinson handed the permit to Dean before shooing the lot of them out of his station.

* * *

Grinning, Dean tucked the permit into the pocket of his dark-gray long-sleeve button up. At least Skye now knew why the boys tended to wear at least two layers. Easier to conceal a weapon that way.

"What, are you cruising for a hookup or something?" Sam sounded irritated and impatient. He didn't see the point in getting the damn permit, knowing Dean only wanted it because it would have Hailey's address on it.

He just wanted to get to the Ridge and find Dad, screw all this extraneous bullshit. Hell, he even wanted to be irritated at Skye for helping Dean to get the stupid thing but he just couldn't. She was doing really well, all things considered. He couldn't help but be a little proud of the girl he was quickly starting to think of like a little sister.

"What do you mean?" Genuinely puzzled, Dean had to press for clarification, bewildered at Sam's frustration.

"The coordinates point to Blackwater Ridge," the condescension in his voice was strong and not entirely intentional, "What are we waiting for? Let's go find Dad. Why even go talk to this girl?"

Circling around the car, Sam leaned against the passenger side, forearms resting on the top of the car.

Stopping and leaning against the hood on the driver's side, Skye watched the boys talk, holding her tongue for the moment. Granted, that moment never lasted long. She simply wasn't one not to say what was on her mind.

Crossing her arms, she waited to see if they'd iron it out or if it would turn into a shouting match.

If the former, she'd get in the car. If the latter, she'd turn her ass around and take a walk.

The boys didn't really scare her anymore, but it was still difficult for her to deal with raised voices and bad tempers, though she knew it was something she needed to get over sooner rather than later.

"Because maybe we should know what we're walkin' into before we actually walk into it," Stopping at the driver's side door, Dean glanced at Skye before looking at his brother, careful to keep his voice as even as he could, giving Sam a 'what the fuck dude' look that spoke as clearly as if he'd said it aloud.

"What?"

"Since when are you all 'shoot first, ask questions later' anyway?" He leaned against the car, one arm resting on the top as he looked at Sam.

That was Dean's usual stance, Sam tending to be the more level-headed one. While it was kind of gratifying to see Sam go that direction, it was also really worrying.

"Sam, I get it. Well, as much as I can, anyway," Skye got their attention, adding her two cents. She'd never been able to keep quiet for long and this was no exception, "What if you could help him and you didn't because you couldn't wait a few more hours?"

Leaning a hip against the car, she gestured, encompassing the two Winchester brothers, "Isn't that really what you do? Help people? Besides, you of all people show know how she feels with family missin'...dontcha think?"

Sam really had nothing to say to that and Skye didn't wait too long for a reply before she walked to the back driver's side door.

Catching her eye, Dean held it open for her, his deep voice very sure as he spoke a single word, "We."

"What?" Looking at him, she didn't catch what he meant.

" _We_  help people," he smiled down at her, meaning every word, "That includes you, Tinkerbell."

Though the girl smiled a lot, it was rare to get a genuine smile out of her, it was more that she simply painted on the expression to deal with societal convention. Genuine smiles though, the real ones that crept up and turned her plain brown eyes into warm hot chocolate, were rare.

It was one of those rare melted-chocolate smiles she gave Dean now, touching the back of his hand briefly in a silent 'thank you' as she slid into the back seat.

Worth more than any audible words of gratitude could ever be.

Grinning, he closed the door behind her and climbed into the driver's seat, starting the car and point it toward that 'Hailey girl's house'...with a brief stop at the nearest Kinko's.


	3. Chapter 2

Killing the engine after pulling up alongside the curb in the lower income neighborhood, Dean got out of the car, the other two following close behind. It may have been lower income, but it was still pretty decent. The houses were a little rundown, yeah, but the kids' toys in the yard and the barbeque grills on the porches gave it a welcoming vibe.

Stretching, hands behind her back, Skye surveyed the area. It was nice, the kind of area she wished she'd grown up in. From the stories the boys told, it probably would have done them some good too, though they at least got a taste of it now and again when they stayed with some of John's friends off and on throughout their childhoods. Falling into step behind Dean with Sam bringing up the rear, Skye had to ask, "So what's the plan?"

"Ever want to be a park ranger?" Sam asked, fixing the collar on her jacket. She twitched, she couldn't help it, but didn't move to stop him. She'd specifically asked both of them to treat her as they would each other instead of avoiding physical contact like they had been. If she was ever going to get comfortable with being touched, better to do so with these two than to wait until she was fighting God knew what.

"No," Nope. Not even once. Not even a little. Not even while watching Yogi and Booboo on TV. She'd always wanted to be the well-fed bear, not the dumbass Ranger.

"Yeah," Dean muttered over his shoulder, knocking on the stout wooden door in front of them, "Me either."

The door was quickly answered by an attractive dark-haired young woman in her mid-twenties, a little too quickly perhaps, as if she were expecting someone to show up with bad news. Considered her brother was missing, she probably was.

"You must be Hailey Collins," Smiling, Dean turned that boyish charm up to an eleven, "I'm Dean, and this is Sam and Skye. We're Rangers with the Park Service. Ranger Wilkinson sent us over. We wanted to ask you some questions about your brother Tommy."

"Let me see some ID," She seemed decidedly unimpressed, giving the three of them a long look through the screen door before her eyes settled on Skye, "You seem a little young to be with the Parks Service."

Digging into his pocket, Dean produced the identification card that was likely still warm from being printed not twenty minutes ago and held it up to the screen door while the other two did the same.

"I'm older than I look," Skye smiled, sparing a thought to wonder exactly how many times she'd have to say something to that effect over the next few months.

Hopefully, it wouldn't be long before she looked old enough to not be questioned about her authenticity. Perhaps she could get some makeup and learn some tricks? It was a decent idea, one she filed away for later.

Shoving his ID back in his pocket, Sam stood behind Skye, shifting his weight impatiently from foot to foot. He didn't see much point in this bullshit. If they'd headed out to Blackwater as soon as they'd arrived, they could have been there by now. Maybe have some answers. It didn't help that Dean had made a decent point earlier and Skye's words were causing a few pangs of guilt. They  _were_  supposed to help people. Dammit, he didn't want to help some stranger right now. What was so wrong with wanting to help himself once in awhile?

Opening the screen door, deciding any help was better than none, Hailey waved them in.

"Come on in." Opening the screen door, Hailey waved them in and took a step back, probably figuring any help was better than none at all. Holding the door, she caught a glimpse of the Impala parked along the curb, "That yours?"

Smiling widely with a sense of pride, Dean nodded an affirmative.

"Nice car."

Stepping inside, Skye and Sam nodded thanks to Hailey before she shut the door behind them and lead them further into the house. Rolling her eyes at the look on Dean's face, Skye shook her head and looked back over her shoulder at Sam, lowering her voice to avoid being overheard, "Well she just won him over forever."

Nodding agreement, Sam ushered her into the dining room as Hailey introduced them to the young man sitting at the dining room table. Seemed they'd interrupted dinner.

"Ben, this is Dean, Sam, and Skye. They're with the Parks Service, they want to ask us some questions about Tommy."

Looking to be about Skye's age, Ben was a thin, pale, dark-haired young man who looked like he hadn't had nearly enough sleep lately. Looking at them all, his gaze settled on Skye, the same skepticism in his eyes that had been in his sister's, "How old are you? You don't look old enough to work for the Parks Service."

Rude.

"Funny, you look old enough to know not to ask a girl that question," outwardly she smiled while groaning on the inside.

Five minutes and she'd gotten the 'too young' thing twice. Yup. Definitely going to have to learn some makeup tricks. Maybe start dressing a little less youthfully. Glancing down at her clothes, her typical 'uniform' of skinny jeans, smartassed tank-top and a long-sleeved flannel hidden under her denim jacket...Nope, screw that. She'd just be a 'trainee' forever.

Making his way around the room, looking at the photos on the wall, Sam ending up standing behind Ben when he started in on his line of questioning, "So if Tommy's not due back for awhile, how do you know something's wrong?"

"He checks in daily by cell," Standing with her arms crossed, Hailey stood far enough back from the table to keep an eye on all three 'Rangers', "He emails photos, stupid little videos...but we haven't heard anything in over three days now."

Ignoring the 'adults', Skye sat her happy ass down in the chair next to Ben's at the dining room table. Only half an ear on the conversation going on around them, she grinned when she caught a mumbled apology from the young man who was now studying his dinner a little too intently.

"It's okay, don't worry about it. I'm eighteen, but I get that a lot," leaning forward, she laced her fingers together, hands on the table, listening as Hailey shot down Sam's suggestion that maybe Tommy's cell just didn't have reception.

Nope, satellite phone.

"Could be he's just having fun and forgot to check in?" Standing behind Skye, Dean rested his hands on the back of her chair.

Not an unreasonable idea by any means. Young men weren't always known to be the most considerate, sometimes just not thinking about how their actions, or lack thereof, might affect those around them.

"He wouldn't do that," Finally speaking up, Ben seemed to feel so strongly about it that it bordered on anger.

"Our parents are gone," Hailey mirrored Dean's position, standing over Ben the same way Dean stood over Skye, "It's just my two brothers and me. We all keep pretty close tabs on each other."

"Can I see the pictures he sent you?" Sam asked, thinking maybe there'd be something in the pictures or videos that might tell them what they were dealing with.

Nodding, Hailey walked over to the computer desk on the other side of the room and turned on the monitor, Sam, and Dean following close behind.

* * *

Letting the boys do their thing with Hailey and the computer, Skye ignored them and turned her attention to Ben. Not like she'd know what to look for and besides, her and technology didn't always get along.

Sitting quietly, Ben fiddled with his silverware, playing with his food instead of eating it. Reaching over, Skye snagged a dinner roll off his plate and sat back, a smirk on her lips as her action elicited a mildly outraged 'Hey!' from the kid.

"I'd say I'm sorry but I'm not," gesturing vaguely with the roll in her hand, she pinched off a piece and popped it in her mouth, "So Ben, I wanna know what you have to say. Why do you think Tommy hasn't messaged?"

Putting his fork down and his hands in his lap, Ben took a long moment to answer before looking up at the petite bread-thief with a doubtful expression, "You really want to know what I think?"

"Wouldn't have asked if I didn't," pulling off another small piece of bread, she flicked it at him and got a reluctant smile in response, "I'm all ears."

"You're gonna think I'm just some weird kid…," looking at her from under dark lashes, it was pretty obvious she wouldn't be the first person to think that. Socially awkward type. Cool, they had something in common.

"Dude. You're like five minutes younger than me, of course I think you're a weird kid. I think  _I'm_ a weird kid," with a shake of her head, she dismissed the term 'weird', "I mean, come on, normal's just a setting on the dryer."

"You're not gonna laugh?"

"You gonna say somethin' funny?," leaning forward, she tossed the remains of the roll from hand to hand, "Somehow I don't think you are. Out with it."

"There's always been rumors about Blackwater. Hikers just up and vanish, never seen again. They say-," he hesitated, going quiet, reluctant to finish but encouraged by the look on Skye's face, a look that said she wasn't going to just dismiss whatever he had to say as the imagination of a child, "They say there's a monster out there. Local kids camp out there on a dare sometimes, though they're not supposed to with all the mine shafts and shi-stuff around."

"I asked Tommy to go somewhere else and he just laughed, brushed it off as stupid kids making up stories," voice wavering, he blinked rapidly, not wanting to tear up in front of a cute girl, "Now he's missing. I know, it's stupid to believe in monsters at my age but...but I think there's something out there."

"Not stupid," spinning the remains of the dinner roll in her fingers, she leaned back in the chair and thought about what he'd said for a minute before rolling the bread across the table where it fell into Ben's lap, "I believe in monsters and technically I'm an adult, so yeah. Any rumor about what it looks like?"

"You-you don't think it's dumb?" Poor kid. The way he said it made it seem like he was told something he said was dumb on way too many occasions. Skye would bet dollars to donuts he was the kind to get picked up on school.

"Do I look like I think it's dumb?" leaning over, she tapped his wrist with a fingertip, "Spill. What have you heard?"

"No one knows what it looks like, nobody's ever seen it," He shrugged, the tips of his ears turning pink at the light touch. Boys, so adorable, "It's fast. Like, Flash fast. He's a comic book character that-"

"I prefer Marvel," Opening her denim jacket to show him the loud Marvel Comics print hidden on the inside, she smiled, "I'm a Deadpool fan. DC's alright though."

"You read comics?" the kid seemed surprised, like he didn't figure she'd be the type.

"Oh I read everything," grinning, she lowered her voice as if sharing a secret, "Don't tell anyone but I'm, like, a huge nerd. Now, you were sayin' about the Blackwater monster?"

"Oh. Yeah umm-," it took the kid a second to remember what he'd been saying, "So anyway, it's crazy fast. Supposed to have been around forever but nobody ever sees it. Just hears it growling around the camps at night and in the morning when you wake up there's claw marks in the trees. Only higher than a man could reach."

Nodding slowly, Skye filed the information away later to share with the boys. With a quick look over at Sam, Dean and Hailey still gathered around the computer, she turned back to Ben, "Hey Ben, you know how the Flash loses weight?..."

Before long she had Ben laughing at stupid jokes, taking his mind off his brother for a few minutes while the boys finished up with his sister.

* * *

It took Hailey a minute to pull up the most recent photos and videos from Tommy before she took a step back to let Sam and Dean take a look.

"That's Tommy," she pointed to the scruffy but handsome young man sitting, the wall of his tent in the background, "This is his last message."

" _Hey Hailey. Day six. We're still out near Blackwater Ridge. We're fine, keeping safe, so don't worry okay?_ " The camera was shaky but the man seemed healthy and in good spirits at the time the video was taken, " _Talk to you tomorrow."_

Only tomorrow had come and gone and there'd been no new messages.

Pausing the video, Sam looked over his shoulder at Hailey, something on the screen having caught his attention, "You mind if I forward these to my email?"

"Sure," shrugging, Hailey gave permission, "Go ahead."

Glancing at Ben and Skye, who seemed deep in some discussion he couldn't hear, a look of irritation crossed Dean's face before he looked back at Hailey, "Well, we'll find your brother. We're heading out to Blackwater Ridge first thing."

"Well, then maybe we'll see you there."

Trading a concerned look, Sam and Dean weren't too happy to hear that. It was bad enough to go out there with who knew what wandering around, but babysitting civilians wasn't high on anyone's list of favorite things.

Hell, just making sure Skye the Rookie didn't die or kill someone was more than enough to keep them on their toes, but at least she had some idea of what was really going on.

A lot more than Hailey and her kid brother, at any rate.

"Look, I can't sit around here anymore so I hired a guide," The look the boys had shared hadn't been lost on Hailey. Irritated at feeling the need to explain herself, she was starting to get defensive, "We're heading out in the morning and we're gonna find Tommy ourselves."

"I think I know how you feel," Dean sympathized.

Hard not to, there were some pretty clear parallels between her missing brother and his missing father. Would he just sit around while a family member was missing? Hell no. He couldn't blame her for wanting to go out herself when no one else seemed willing to help her.

"Come on, Rookie, time to go," Whistling to get Skye's attention, Dean frowned when he saw her write something down on the back of Ben's hand with the tactical pen that was part of her arsenal.

Nifty tool. Tiny flashlight, pen, window breaker slash skull cracker, all in a metal tube just right to wrap your fist around before throwing a punch.

Also apparently it was good for giving out phone numbers.

The boys headed out after thanking Hailey for her time, walking over to lean up against the Impala while they waited for Skye to catch up. Standing in similar poses, hands in their pockets, casual postures...except for the grumpy look on Dean's face.

"Dean, you okay there man?" Giving him a sideways look, Sam could hardly stop himself from smiling. He knew well enough why his brother was cranky. It didn't take a genius to notice it had started the same time Skye and the kid Ben took up giggling at the dining room table together, "Are you jealous?"

"Jealous? Of who, the boy?" he scoffed, lowering his voice as Skye stepped out the front door onto the tiny concrete stoop,"Of course not, he's just a kid."

"Newsflash Dean, he's the same age as Skye," Sam couldn't quite keep the amusement out of his voice.

He knew well enough Dean had nothing to worry about. It was damned obvious where Skye's interests lie, Dean just seemed as oblivious to it as Skye did to Dean's interest in her.

They were just too much fun to mess with though. Sometime soon, this whole thing was going to blow up and it'd be interesting to see if it ended in fireworks or flames.

"...shut up, Sammy."


	4. Chapter 2

Half an hour after leaving Hailey's, the terrible trio found themselves at a dive bar on the outskirts of town. It leaned a little more honky-tonk than biker, but it was a pretty typical representative of its type, well, aside from the sheer number of dead animal heads on the wall. Eww. The air was thick with smoke and the scent of stale beer, the murmur of the patrons and the crack of billiard balls almost loud enough to drown out the country music playing on the jukebox.

Claiming a small table up against the wall, Skye disappeared momentarily to put a couple quarters in the jukebox before joining the boys as the waitress delivered three beers. Giving Skye the barest hint of a sideways glance, she ultimately decided it wasn't her problem if the kid was underage. Her ID looked legit and that was all anyone in a place like this really cared about, even if they had a pretty strong suspicion it was fake. At least it was a damn good fake, thanks to Jimmy in Reno. Beat the hell out of her old one. Sitting with her back to the wall, the boys on either side of her, she tried to ignore the people around them. No big surprise, she wasn't a huge fan of crowds.

"So, you and Hailey's brother seemed to be gettin' pretty cozy." Twisting off the caps on two of the bottles, Dean slid one across the table to Skye while Sam pulled out a faux-leather folder stuffed with papers and a notepad. Leaning back in his chair, long legs crossed at the ankle, Dean pretended it was just idle talk. Not at all convincingly. For someone who lied professionally, he didn't do so well when it involved the girl, "What were you two gigglin' about while Sam and I were, you know, working?"

"Well, we ended up talkin' comics." Taking a drink of her beer before placing it on the table in front of her, she wrapped her hands around the bottle, barely managing to keep a grin off her face. She wasn't nearly as oblivious as Sam might like to think. It's not like Dean was in any way subtle, "Debatin' whether Marvel, DC or Dark Horse is better all around-"

"And you call me a nerd." Laughing, Sammy took a long pull of his beer.

" 'Cause you are a nerd, Sammy." Swirling the liquid in his bottle, Dean looked at Skye before finishing off his drink, "You read comics?"

"Not anymore." Peeling the label slowly off her half-full beer, Skye avoided meeting the boys gaze, a smile on her lips that didn't reach her eyes, "Used to before Mama found my collection and burned 'em in the backyard. Said only boys like comics, so I musta only been readin' em to get attention."

"The comic talk came after I asked Ben if he had a theory about his brothers disappearance." Clearing her throat, she switched the subject, wrinkling her nose at Dean, "See, I was workin' too, jackass. You guys weren't payin' him any mind and someone needed to. Besides, he's adorable and very sweet."

Sharing a look at the small revelation about her mother, the boys took the hint and let it drop without trying to press for further information. The girl didn't talk much about her past and the fact that she mentioned something like that so casually seemed to indicate she was starting to trust the boys a little more all the time. They knew she'd had a rough childhood, of course, it hadn't taken a rocket scientist to figure that out. Beyond a vague idea of how bad, which was very, they just didn't know much at all. It had taken piecing little bits of her behaviors and habits together to even figure out that much.

"He have anything to say?" Catching the attention of the dark-haired large-breasted bar wench, Dean held up three fingers, ordering three more beers.

"As a matter of fact, he did." Smirking, the 'na na na na boo boo' in her expression so loud the neighbors could hear it, "Local kids are scared to go out near Blackwater. Local legend has it that a monster roams the woods, attackin' campers and draggin' 'em off never to be seen again. All in all, sound pretty accurate."

"I guess nobody's ever seen it, though. Basically 'fast and tall' are all I got." Finishing off her first beer just as the waitress brought the second, she couldn't help but give her a look. Dean wasn't the only one that appreciated a killer rack, "It supposedly prowls around camps after dark, makin' a lot of noise. When you wake up after a nightmare fueled night of monster growls and what have you, there's claw marks in the trees 'higher than a man could reach' so says Ben."

"That's not much to go on." Pursing his lips, Dean was about to ask Sammy if he'd found anything before it occurred to him to tell Skye she'd done good. Which he did, awkwardly, before excusing himself to go hit the head.

Taking a deep breath, Skye pinched the bridge of her nose between thumb and finger as she tried to swallow her laughter.

Looking up from his papers, Sam shot her a questioning look, "What's so funny?"

"Your dumbass brother." Leaning forward, elbows on the table, her expression torn between exasperation and amusement, "I never figured he'd be so...artless. Here I thought he had so much experience with women."

"Wait." Lowering the folder he'd been looking through, Sam eyed her over the top of it, "What exactly are you talking about?"

"What do you think I'm talkin' about, Stretch?" Chuckling, she laced her hands together, resting her chin on her hands, "Jesus, how unobservant do you think I am?"

"...so you  _know._ " Dropping the folder onto the table and shoving it out of the way, he stared at her, "But-I mean you-...why? If you're interested and you know he is too, why haven't you done anything about it? You two are starting to give me migraines."

" 'Cause I may be a lot of things, but stupid isn't one of 'em." Leaning back in her seat, she tugged on the end of her braid, a flicker of regret in her eyes, "Has your brother ever had a relationship that lasted longer than it took to buy the condoms?"

"Not...that I know of." Okay, Sam could see how that might possibly be an issue. Maybe, "Does it matter?"

"...I've never had a relationship  _at all_. Physical or otherwise. Not to mention Dean and I are stuck with each other so what happens if...if we act on it and he's over it after his curiosity is satisfied?" Lowering her eyes, she didn't want Sam to see the look on her face. No way was she going to let on exactly how interested she was. Better to play it off as a crush, "If things go south, that would make life even more of a pain in my ass than it already is. Think about it, Sam, it's just not a good idea."

"What's not a good idea?" Dean reclaimed his seat and his half-empty beer, glancing between Sammy's bemused expression and the look of regret on Skye's, "What'd I miss?"

"Nothing." Shaking his head, a little annoyed that he hadn't figured out that Skye had figured it out, Sam brushed off the question, "So anyway, Blackwater Ridge doesn't get a lot of traffic, local campers mostly."

Opening the folder back up, he pulled out the information he'd found earlier, changing the subject before Dean could press the issue, "Still, this past April two hikers went missing out there and were never found."

Picking up the print-off of the news article, Dean skimmed it before leaning back in his chair, "Any before that?"

"Yeah." Shuffling the papers, Sam pulled out an older article, "In 1982, eight different people all vanished in the same year."

"To be fair, it's hard for eight of the same person to vanish." Skye quipped, her expression deadpan.

"You think you're funny, don't you?" Shaking his head, Sam offered Dean the news article from '82.

"She thinks she's fuckin' hilarious." Rolling his eyes, he resolutely refused to smile but didn't succeed quite as well as he'd hoped, "Go on, Sammy, pretend her mouth is duct taped. It helps."

"As I was saying." Shooting her a look that dared her to interrupt again only to get an innocent smile in return, Sam returned to what he'd been saying, "Authorities said it was a grizzly attack. And again in 1959, and before that in 1936."

"Every twenty-three years?" Math wasn't Skye's strong suit but even she could figure that one out, "Gee, what an interesting coincidence."

"Mmhmm." Nodding agreement, Sam grabbed his laptop bag from off the floor and set up his computer on the table, only taking a moment to bring up the video he'd forwarded himself from Hailey's computer earlier, "Okay now watch this. Here's the clincher."

Putting down the article, Dean leaned forward well into Skye's personal bubble to get a better look at the screen. Reminding herself to stop sitting between the boys, she pretended not to notice as she examined the video herself. The boys had seen it earlier but she hadn't had a chance to, too busy talking to Ben. Dammit, he smelled kind of nice and he really needed to back the fuck up and… Closing her eyes for a second, Skye took a deep breath and pulled her attention firmly back to where it was supposed to be.

"Check this out." Clicking a few keys, Sam froze the video before moving it forward three frames. Whatever it was, Skye didn't catch it but apparently, Dean had.

Leaning closer with both arms on the table, he narrowed his eyes, watching the screen intently, "Do it again."

On the second playback, Skye spotted it too. Movement in the background behind Tommy, a shadow moving across the outside of his tent.

"That's three frames." A few clicks and he played it one more time, "That's a fraction of a second. Whatever that thing is, it can move."

"So Ben's local legend is more than just bogeyman stories to scare the kiddies." Twirling her empty bottle between her hands, a slow smile spreading across her lips, "See, this is why you don't just talk to the grownups. Kids pay attention to the things adults dismiss as impossible."

"Shh." Reaching back, Dean put a hand over her mouth and looked at Sam, "I told you something weird was going on."

"Hey!" Jerking his hand back, Dean gave her a dirty look.

"Well don't do that then." Laughing, she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Do I want to know?" Looking back and forth between the two, Sam decided to stop and get a bottle of aspirin later.

"She licked my hand." Grumbling, Dean wiped his hand on his jeans.

"He started it."

"Children? Are you done? Because I'm not, I got one more thing," leaning back in his chair, Sam rested his hands on the tabletop and tried to pretend his partners were adults and not idiots, "In '59, one camper survived the supposed grizzly attack. Just a kid, barely crawled out of the woods alive."

By the self-satisfied look on his face, it was obvious Sam had been saving the best piece of information for last. Using a booted foot to slowly push Skye's chair away from the table, Dean finished off his beer, "Got a name?"

"Stephen Shaw."

Kicking at Dean's ankle, Skye hurried to finish her drink, knowing their next stop would be to track down the survivor and see if he had anything to say. Standing, she stretched as Sam gathered his things off the table, Dean disappearing to go pay their tab and give the waitress a tip. And maybe his phone number.

"You licked his hand?" Wrinkling his nose in disgust, Sam had a hard time believing it, "Do you know where his hands have been?"

"Yes. I also know he washed them recently. He smells like soap. And leather." tugging at the end of her braid again, she grumbled, "And...Dean."

It sounded like she couldn't decide if that were a good thing or a bad thing. Giving her a condescending pat on the head, Sam chuckled, "Oh you poor thing."

Glaring daggers at him, literally if she'd have had daggers, she snapped at him, "Careful, I bite too."

"Bite Dean, he'd appreciate it more."

"...shut up, Sam."


	5. Chapter 4

Less than an hour after finishing their drinks, they were granted entry to a tiny little rundown apartment by a grizzled old man with gray hair and a two pack a day smoking habit if the smell were anything to go by. Not pleasant. They'd explained they were with the Parks Service and flashed ID, telling him they needed to ask a few questions about the attack he'd suffered as a child. Poor guy didn't hesitate to let them in, lonely for a little company, it didn't matter what sort.

"Look Rangers, I don't know why you're asking me about this." Shuffling across the floor of the small room that served as bedroom/dining room/everything else except kitchen and bathroom, he left the three to make their own way in.

Shutting the door behind them, they took a good look around at the sparse accommodations. Also not pleasant.

"It's public record," the old guy spoke up, cigarette between his teeth, voice rough with age and possibly cancer, "My parent's got mauled by a-"

"Grizzly?" Sam interrupted. Rudely. "That's who attacked them?"

Hesitating for a brief moment, Mr. Shaw took the smoke out of his mouth before nodding agreement, more to convince himself than them.

The boys stopped just inside the door, Skye following the old man in. Studying the various books and odds and ends littered across every flat surface, she looked up as Dean spoke. Dude was just always a little harsher than he had to be.

"The other people that went missing that year." The skepticism was strong with that one, obviously not believing a word the old guy said, "Those bear attacks too?"

None of them believed him, but damn, they didn't have to be assholes about it. Caught by the look of old unhealed pain on Mr. Shaw's wrinkled face, she had no doubt he'd been living with this for decades. Poor old guy.

"What about all the people that went missing this year? Same thing?" Half turning, Dean looked over at Sammy before turning his gaze back to the old man, "If we knew what we were dealing with, we might be able to stop it."

"I seriously doubt that." Shaw looked cynical. And sad, so very sad. Turning toward them, he lowered himself into a worn out old easy chair, "Anyway, I don't see the difference it would make."

"Nobody ever believed you, did they." Crossing the floor to kneel in front of the old man, she wondered how Dean could have the heart to badger him in that severe tone when his distress was so clear to see, "You tried to tell them, didn't you? That it wasn't a grizzly. How many years did it take before you stopped trying?"

Ignoring the sounds of the boys moving closer, she clasped the old man's hands in both of hers, her voice and soft brown eyes inviting confidences and offering comfort, "I promise you, we will believe you. What did you see, Mr. Shaw?"

"Nothin'." Eyes watering, the eyes of the little boy he'd once been peered out of the wrinkled skin and miasma of nicotine, his voice low and quivering, "It moved too fast to see. It hid too well."

"I heard it, though." the pain in his voice, the weariness, as fresh as if it had happened yesterday. His speech patterns falling back into the same ones he'd used as a child, he suddenly sounded very young, "A roar...like no man or animal I ever heard."

"It came at night and got in your tent?" Keeping his voice soft, Sam broke in to ask from directly behind Skye.

Nodding without taking his eyes off her, talking only to her as if spellbound, "It got inside our  _cabin_. I was sleepin' in front of the fireplace when it came in. Didn't-didn't smash a window or break the door, it  _unlocked_  it. I didn't even wake till I heard Mama screamin'."

"It killed them?" Sam's voice again breaking through the smoke-filled haze.

"It...it drug 'em off into the night. I don't know why it left me alive." It was plain that he wished it hadn't. Leaning forward, he pulled one hand away from Skye's grasp to pull aside the neck of his sweater. Revealing four long, deep, furrowed scars that ran from shoulder to mid-chest, his voice dropped to a hoarse whisper, "There's somethin' evil in those woods. Some sorta-some sorta demon."

"It's okay, Stevie. It's long over and we do believe you." Smiling sympathetically, Skye stood and brushed a kiss against the old man's head. There was a calming and distinctly maternal way about her that should have seemed horribly out of place on such a young woman. Instead, it was as natural as waterfalls and wildflowers. ...which was decidedly fucking weird.

Murmuring to the old man, she stroked his hair, "All those people who told you that you were wrong, that you were just a scared crazy kid...they just didn't wanna believe it. They should never have treated you that way, should never have made you feel the way they did."

Comforting him, she missed the look the boys shared behind her as 'Stevie' wrapped his bony arms around her waist and hugged her tightly, tears he'd been holding in for far too many years slipping out from tightly closed eyes.

* * *

"What the hell  _is_  that?" As soon as they'd cleared the building, they rounded on her, Dean raising his voice.

Startled, Skye stumbled back a step, shocked by his vehemence. Part of her knew there was no way either he or Sam would ever hurt her. A much larger and louder part of her pointed out that she hadn't even known them a month yet and she'd been hurt badly by people who should have looked out for her too many times before. Wrapping a hand around the collapsible baton in her right jacket pocket, she stepped back until she was out of easy reach, confusion in her eyes. Honest-to-God, she had no idea what he was upset about, "What the hell is what?"

"What do you mean, 'what the hell is what'?  _That._  That super-sympathetic chicken soup comforting crap you get goin' like that? That is-that is not normal, Skyler. People don't respond to strangers like that. Nobody just-just breaks down and sobs like a little kid in a strange teens arms."" Unable to help himself, Dean couldn't manage to lower his voice. While his rant may have come off as anger, anyone that knew him well would know better. It wasn't anger, it was fear. Not  _of_  Skyler, obviously, but  _for_  her. Unfortunately, Skye didn't really know him all that well, "But you...you give off this aura so thick you can cut it with a knife and suddenly you're Ultra Mom and everyone turns into a child, happy to dump all their tears and fears squarely in your lap."

"I don't-I don't have any idea-I don't know what you're talking about," She might be a good liar, but not  _that_  good, she really didn't know what they meant. It had simply never occurred to her that the way people responded to her was abnormal. Sometimes she offered a shoulder to cry on to those in pain and they took her up on it, nothing weird about that. Right?

"She really doesn't realize…" Running a hand through his dark hair, Dean turned his back on her and looked up to the sky, taking a deep breath, "Jesus fuckin' Christ."

"Nope, I don't think she does," Shaking his head slowly, Sam joined his brother, pitching his voice low so as not to be overheard, "I do however think you just scared the shit out of her. I'm going to take a long slow walk back to the car and I think you should go apologize or...something. Fix it. She looks like she's about to cry and something tells me that is not an easy thing to do."

Turning and making his way to the car, Sam gave Skye a reassuring pat on the shoulder as he passed, causing her to flinch hard. Great. There went all the progress they'd made in the last few days.

* * *

Standing with his hands deep in his jacket pockets, Dean cursed himself out internally, at length and with a surprising amount of creativity. Good job, Dean. Way to go, you fucking dumbass. Sighing, the muscle in his jaw twitched as he tried to think of a way to talk himself out of the tirade he'd just gone on. No doubt she felt like he was accusing her of something when really he was just concerned. Worried even.

Looking up at her, the fear and confusion were gone from her face. She'd retreated back into herself, presenting that impersonal and insincere mask to the world. The mask he hadn't realized until just now that he hadn't seen since Jericho And he'd just fucked that all up.

"Skye, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" Taking his hands out of his pockets, he stepped toward her only to have her step back. It was a reflex reaction she wasn't fully aware of, but it still stung.

"Fair enough. How 'bout this? I'm gonna go sit down, rest a minute, and if you wanna come talk about it you can come join me." He held up his hands, the 'I won't hurt you' meaning clear. Taking a look around the parking lot, he spotted a warped old wooden bench set up against the wall by the entrance they'd just come out of. He bit his lip before continuing, genuinely hoping she'd take the first option, "If not...Sammy's waitin' in the car. You can join him and go get a motel room till morning when we head out to Blackwater."

Matching words to actions, he took a few steps backward before turning to walk to the bench and sitting down, resisting the urge to smack the back of his head against the brick facade hard enough to give him a head injury that might get him a hospital stay. Maybe some sympathy. Maybe forgiveness.

Taking a deep breath, Skye forced herself to unclench her fingers from around the weapon in her pocket as she watched him walk away. Was she really going to let her past dictate the rest of her life? Because that was damn well what she was doing. She  _knew_  Dean didn't mean any harm but he'd legitimately scared her. But...he hadn't pushed the point, backing off and apologizing as soon as he'd realized what he'd done. Nobody had ever done that before.

She had two choices. Go talk to Dean, or go back with Sam. There was a vague feeling in the back of her mind that this was a lot more important than it seemed on the surface. That this was some sort of crossroads and everything branching off from here depended on what she chose in this moment. It was an easy choice, the same choice she would end up making again and again for the rest of her life... though it certainly wouldn't always be as easy a one as it was right then. Sitting down on the bench next to Dean, she gripped the edge of the splintered wood as she leaned forward, legs crossed at the ankle.

"I'm sorry, Skye. I didn't mean to yell," Apologies weren't normally easy for him but this wasn't a normal situation and this time it came easily enough, "I'm not angry with you. You just kinda ...just kinda scared me, is all."

It was a long few minutes before she spoke. Looking down at the asphalt beyond the sidewalk, she studied the cracks as if there'd be a test later, "...I want to tell you a story."

Dean went still, falling quiet and allowing her to take her time, somehow getting the message that this was a big deal for her.

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl. Pretty bright, if I do say so myself. Maybe a little precocious. When she was in the second grade, she had a friend. Her best and only friend, Seth," A pained smile passed her lips, gone as quickly as it had come. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, willing herself to treat the conversation as casually as if she'd been discussing the weater, "Seth was a very sweet curly-headed little right before Christmas break, he gave the little girl a birthday present."

"It was the first birthday present she'd ever got. A box of crayons. Not one of those crappy little boxes of RoseArt crayons either, you know," she let out a soft laugh, "Nope, it was one of those big 64-count boxes of Crayola with the built-in sharpener and a big Scooby-Doo coloring book. Now, she'd always loved to draw and color, the brighter the better."

Examining the toe of her boot, all trace of a smile fled.

Sitting motionless beside her, Dean realized just how much it took for her to talk about this. The fact that her hands were shaking was a pretty big clue. He had a good idea he was not going to like where this story was headed.

"She went home at the end of the day and, not thinkin' straight, excitedly showed her mother what she'd gotten. I mean, she should have known better but...what kid doesn't want to share their happiness with their parents?," Twining a strand of hair around and around a finger, she took a minute before she continued, "Her mother though, well, she got pissed and threw the crayons and coloring book in the trash. Started yellin' about how the only reason anyone would ever give the girl anything was because they pitied her...or maybe because she was doing things no kid should ever do to 'earn' those things. Didn't matter that the girl was only seven years old and had no inkling of what her mama was rantin' about."

Looking increasingly livid, Dean opened his mouth to say something, perhaps wanting to comfort Skye.

"I'm not finished," she cut him off before he could say anything, holding up a hand to quiet him. Tilting her head back, she looked up at the sky, not actually seeing the stars above her. Instead, she saw the cracked linoleum and peeling yellow wallpaper of the trailer she'd spent the first few years of her childhood in. Not a happy fun time. Obviously.

"Later that night, the stubborn little girl snuck out of bed long after she should have been asleep, determined to rescue that gift that meant so much to her. That...that was a mistake," the bitterness in her laugh was intense enough to make Dean wince, "The girl's mama caught her, had most likely known she was goin' to do exactly that. As punishment, she made the girl break every single crayon into tiny pieces and throw them into the garbage disposal and then she set each and every page of the coloring book on fire and burnt it to ash."

That alone would have been enough to make Dean hate Skye's mother forever, but she wasn't done yet.

"...then she beat her daughter so severely that she broke the kid's arm and dislocated her shoulder," she'd gone completely monotone, no inflection at all, "Three days later a neighbor called social services who forced her mother to take her to the hospital where they popped her shoulder back into place. They had to re-break her arm because it had already started to heal wrong. And...that was all social services did."

"They made sure I got medical attention and then they sent me right back," Leaning her head back against the wall behind her, she looked up at the sky, avoiding looking at Dean quite yet, "The worst it had ever gotten before then was getting smacked around some, or she'd forget to feed me. Lock me in the closet once in awhile but...that was the first time she broke a bone. It was not the last."

"Jesus I-," Dean just shook his head, not able to find words adequate to convey how he felt about what she'd just told him, "I don't-I'm sorry. That's-Seriously, I have no words."

"You know, I never told anyone that before," Shrugging a shoulder, she turned to look at the young man sitting next to her, "Never had anybody to tell. After Christmas break she transferred me to a different school and I wasn't allowed to have friends anymore."

Not only had she never really had anyone to tell, knowing basically no one outside of her classes, there was always that little voice in the back of her head that said no one would believe her. Or worse, that they'd think she deserved it. That voice sounded disturbingly like her mother. Because of course it did.

Sitting through her story, he'd felt himself getting angrier and angrier to the point of absolute rage on her behalf. If her mother had still been alive, he'd have happily climbed his ass in the car and driven down to Oklahoma to shoot her in the head, human or not.

"I just...I guess I just wanted you to understand why I am the way I am," Smiling in a self-deprecating fashion, she leaned forward, wrapping her fingers around the edge of the bench again, "I'd like to think I'm pretty self-aware and...I know I'm broken, Dean. I'm tryin' real hard not to be but- Anyway, I just want you to know that I appreciate how patient you're bein'. I know I'm a pain in the ass so...thank you. For everything."

All that, telling a story of horrific abuse and then smiling and thanking him when really he should be comforting her... Ultra Mom weirdness aside, the girl really was something else.

"I wouldn't say broken. Cracked.  _Definitely_  cracked, but then birds of a feather…" Smiling at her, he leaned over and nudged her shoulder with his elbow, "You are definitely a pain in my ass though, but, you know, I think I'm learnin' to live with it. Maybe even a remote possibility I might miss it if it were to suddenly disappear."

More than a remote possibility.

Laughing, she shook her hair out of her eyes and grinned at him, "Dick."

"Bitch." The affection in his voice turned the insult into a pet name. Standing, he offered her a hand up and was immensely gratified when she actually took it, "Come on, Sammy probably thinks we're dead. Or worse."

"Expelled?"

Yeah, definitely a nerd.

"What?"

"...never mind," Sticking her hands in her pockets, she walked beside him back to the car, "What time we headin' to Blackwater in the mornin'?"

"Too damn early."


	6. Chapter 5

It was around midnight when they made it to a motel, just enough time to grab showers and a few hours sleep before morning. Unlocking the door, Skye flipped on the overhead lights and had to do a double-take at the hideously bright orange wallpaper. Geez, she wasn't sure anyone sane would actually be able to sleep in here with that glaring at them. Good thing none of them were quite sane.

This was only the second motel she'd been in, like ever, but they were already starting to all seem eerily similar. Dated wallpaper, worn carpet, little table with a couple of chairs. Dresser, TV, two queen beds and an outdated bathroom. Yup. All was accounted for.

Tossing her leather bag onto the table, she left the door open behind her. The boys were behind the car, grabbing weapons from the trunk. Or at least that's what she assumed they were doing. Eyeing the two beds, she wondered how this was going to work out. Last time Sam had gotten his own room, wanting some privacy to deal with Jess's untimely demise with the help of entirely too much Jack. Then, of course, she and Dean had each had their own beds. Now there were three of them and they hadn't discussed the logistics.

Eh, whatever. They could have the beds. Certainly wouldn't be the first time she'd slept on the floor. She'd gone years, off and on, without a bed to sleep on. Just a pallet on the floor. It was no big to her. Rifling through her backpack, she grabbed the little travel bag of toiletries and some clean clothes before claiming the first show.

* * *

Opening the trunk, Dean propped it up with a sawed-off shotgun. Not the safest of practices, but he'd done it a hundred times and doubtless would do it a hundred more. Looking over his shoulder he frowned, a noise or the sense of being watched making the back of his neck crawl. If there was anything there, though, he didn't see it.

Appearing around the side of the car, Sam stood next to him, looking irritated. Part of him was cranky that they were waiting to go out to Blackwater but admittedly, part of him was also cranky that the two of them had kept him waiting in the car so long he'd dozed off and then hadn't mentioned a word about what they'd talked about. Whatever had been discussed, Skye had obviously completely forgiven Dean and Dean didn't seem to be giving a second thought to the weirdness that had started the whole thing in the first place. Whatever. He just wanted to get on with it. To get out there and find his father and neither of his two companions seemed at all concerned about it, "We can't let that Hailey girl go out there."

"What are we gonna tell her?" Stuffing his large green duffle bag with weapons and supplies, Dean spoke without bothering to look at his Sam. Grabbing a revolver, he checked it, "She can't go into the woods because of a big, scary monster?"

"Yeah." He meant it too. Sam seriously wanted to tell Hailey she couldn't go into the woods because of a big, scary monster. Because that tactic ever worked.

"Her brother's missing, Sam. She's not just gonna sit this one out," Shaking his head, he grabbed the duffle, considerably heavier now than it had been, "No. We go with her, we protect her. We keep our eyes peeled for our fuzzy predator friend."

"So finding Dad's not enough?" Everything about this was just complete bullshit. They should be looking for Dad. They should never have stopped to chat with Hailey. They shouldn't be involved in looking for Tommy at all. They were never going to find their father if Dean kept dragging his feet, helping every Tom, Dick and cute girl that fell into their path. A part of him knew how uncharitable that line of thought was. Hell, with Skye around, Dean wasn't giving anyone else a first look, let alone a second. A larger part of Sam was just angry. All the time. Moving the shotgun that held the trunk open, Sam slammed it down, narrowly missing Dean, the undercurrent of anger in his voice clear. "Now we have to babysit too?"

Giving Sam a long penetrating look, Dean didn't say anything, disappointment flaring briefly in his eyes.

"What?" Sam snapped

"Nothin'," Dean gave a half-shrug, expression unreadable as he threw the duffle bag into Sam's arms with more force than necessary. Turning his back on Sam, he walked away, heading into the motel room to check on Skye.

* * *

He found her laying on her stomach on a pallet she'd made on the floor between the two Queen beds, eyes closed, hair still damp from a shower. Must have been a quick one, he hadn't been outside that long. He heard Sam walk in behind him, slamming the door shut and locking it before disappearing into the bathroom. Shaking his head, he managed to drag his eyes away from where Skye's bare leg stuck out from under the duvet cover she'd stolen from one of the beds. The girl definitely had a dancers legs.

He'd actually seen her dance once, aside from the infrequent tango lessons she insisted on. She hadn't known she was being watched at the time but...she was good. She was real good. And she hadn't been lying when she'd said she was incredibly flexible…. Clearing his throat, he wrestled his thoughts back where they should be, claiming the bed against the far wall as he stripped off his leather jacket and the dark blue button-up, leaving him in jeans and the gray t-shirt that was Skye's favorite. Not that she'd ever told him as much.

Kicking off his boots, he collapsed onto the bed, head pillowed on his crossed arms as he lay on his stomach examining the human-shaped lump on the floor, "You can have the bed, you know."

No response from the pile of fabric.

"I know you're not asleep."

"Shut up, yes I am," she turned to face him, eyes still closed, unknowingly mimicking the position he'd taken on the bed.

"Seriously, take the bed," grinning, he was unable to resist the suggestion, "Or we could share it, there's plenty of room."

That got a snort out of her, not the most flattering of responses, "Would I trust you with my life? Yeah probably. Would I trust you with my virginity? Fuck no."

"Wait, you're a-"

"Goodnight, Dean."

Grinning, he flipped over onto his back.

She trusted him.

Probably.

... _awesome._


	7. Chapter 6

The three of them woke at the ass-crack of dawn, none of them particularly happy about the necessity. Skye tried to hide under the duvet, pretending she didn't exist until Sam rudely pulled it down, "Morning, sunshine. Time to get up."

"No. I can't get up, I'm dead," groaning, she grabbed the edge of the scratchy blanket and tried to pull it back over her head before sitting up on her elbows and glaring at him when he pulled it completely off of her, tossing it in the corner, "I have a gun and I can shoot you, ya fuckin' Wookie."

"You do have a gun, and several knives, all of which you need a lot more practice with before you go making death threats," Chuckling, he looked down at her, already fully dressed and far too chipper for the few hours of sleep they'd gotten, "Come on, rise and shine. Dean's getting coffee and breakfast. Get dressed, full kit."

"Fine. I'll get up," grumbling, she got to her feet, "but I absolutely refuse to shine.

Making good on her threat, she cursed loudly and at length as she grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before walking into the bathroom and kicking the door shut behind her. Couldn't get any less shiny than that, right?

Re-emerging just as Dean returned with an armful of caffeine and sausage biscuits, she laid claim to a very large black coffee and a couple of biscuits, nodding a good morning before going to grab her holster. Full kit meant fully armed, gun and all. Yay.

Setting her coffee on the little side table by the bed Dean had claimed the night before, she turned her back on the boys and lifted her t-shirt, folding the top of her jeans down to wrap the conceal-carry holster around her waist. The boys tended not to wear holsters, just tucking their firearms into the waistbands of their jeans like heathens. She'd already taken steps to change that, though, mostly by not shutting up about it until they gave in. She was good at that.

She'd read too many news articles about people shooting themselves in the ass cheek and she wasn't going to be one of them, thank you very much, nor would she let it happen to the two idiots she rode with. Hers was stretchy and perfectly comfortable, she wouldn't even notice it once she got used to it. Buttoning her jeans back, she dropped her shirt and turned back to find Dean watching her, Sam rolling his eyes at his brother.

"What?" Like she didn't know.

Spinning a finger by his ear to imply Dean was crazy, Sam swallowed his mouthful of food and smirked, finding it hilarious that Dean had been caught staring. Rolling her own eyes, she turned to retrieve her gun before Dean could see the smile on her lips. He didn't need the encouragement.

Tucking her gun into the holster where it belonged, she couldn't help but think of Dean taking her out shooting. Good times. She'd only been twice but she'd done a 180 on her 'firm' anti-weapon stance of a week ago. It had taken exactly one round of shooting cans and empty bottles out on a backroad for her to change her mind. It had been fun, which was unexpected. She'd thought it would be scary and loud and just very..unfun. Wrong.

Well, except about the loud part. Doubtless, she'd end up with tinnitus before too long and likely the boys already suffered from it. It had actually felt, to her, a lot like it did when she was dancing. Or singing. Or just performing in general. That sense of being completely in the moment, no voices in her head, no memories surfacing at just the wrong moment, no doubt or self-consciousness. It was nice.

It didn't hurt that she was fairly decent, too, hitting her target more often than not. No doubt she'd get better with practice, but for now she was pretty confident she wouldn't accidentally shoot someone in the leg. Herself included.

Taking her hair out of its customary braid, she brushed it out before twisting it right back like it was, finishing off her outfit with a dark red long-sleeve button-up she'd stolen from Dean. It was too big for her, of course, and she had to roll up the sleeves but it covered the slight bulge at the small of her back when she wasn't wearing her jacket. Eventually, she'd get around to running to the thrift shop to buy her own shirts and become an official member of Club Flannel, she just hadn't gotten to it yet. Besides, it didn't seem like Dean minded too awful much.

"Dude, quit staring or she's going to notice," Sam smacked his brother's arm. Not like she hadn't already noticed, but he wasn't going to say that. It was too much fun teasing Dean about it. He'd mostly decided to stop trying to play matchmaker. Skye had a point last night, more or less, and he figured his interference wasn't really necessary anyway. The more he got to know the girl, the better suited he thought she and Dean were. He didn't really think it was going to end badly but, well, his last relationship had gone up in flames so what the hell did he know.

"I was not staring," Dean smacked him back. Sure he wasn't, "But seriously, is there anything hotter than an armed woman because I don't think there is."

Especially this woman in particular.

Double-checking his own preparations, he found everything to be in order. He'd already gone over everything this morning while Sam and Skye had still been asleep, used to functioning on much less sleep than either of them were at the moment. Four to six hours every couple of nights and he was mostly good to go. After a bit of adjustment, Skye would be able to do the same and Sam would fall back into it eventually. Wasn't the healthiest thing ever, of course, but sometimes it was necessary. Fuck, most times it was necessary.

"I was thinkin' last night when we left Shaw's." Clearing his throat, Dean got their attention as he finished dressing, "Spirits and demons, they don't need to unlock doors. They can go through walls."

Sam knew that, of course, but sometimes it was just easier to voice a little exposition for Skye's sake Rookie had to learn somehow.

"Which means it's got to be something else, something corporeal," Picking up the thread of Deans thoughts, Sam brought them to their natural conclusion, knowing full well it was for Skye's benefit.

" 'Corporeal'? Excuse me, Professor," Dean tossed a pillow at his brother, making fun of the college boy.

"Shut up," Rolling his eyes so hard they creaked, Sam shook his head, idly wondering what it would have been like if he was an only child, "So what do you two think?"

"The claws, the speed it moves. Could be a skinwalker or maybe a black dog," Sticking his hands in his jacket pockets, Dean shrugged, "Whatever we're talkin' about, we're talkin' about a creature and it's "corporeal", which means we can kill it."

"Okay, if you two want to stop voicin' bullshit aloud for my benefit, all I want are explanations for what a skinwalker and a black dog are. Everything else was yelled out loudly by Captain Obvious last night when he went flyin' through the room," Perching on the side of the bed, she watched the dumbasses with a look that clearly stated they were exactly that. Dumbasses. Crossing her legs, she laced her hands around her knee and smiled brightly at the morons as they mumbled rude things in her direction, "I'm a Rookie, not mentally challenged. Come on, spill the relevant info."

"You remember about bein' a pain in my ass? This is one of those times," Dean pointed a finger at her, a smile in his eyes, chuckling when she flipped him off, "Skinwalker lore is found in just about every culture. There's a lot but it boils down to someone that can turn into an animal. Similar to werewolves but not reliant on the phases of the moon. Vulnerable to silver."

"Which reminds me," he unzipped the duffle and rummaged through it, producing an extra magazine for Skye's Sig Sauer and tossing it to her, "Silver bullets. Just in case."

"And black dogs?" She caught the magazine and tucked it into a pocket, wondering exactly how they melted silver down into bullets.

Ah well, a question for another time.

"The lore on black dogs is a lot more vague," Thinking for a minute, Sam answered as best he could, "You ever read the Hound of the Baskervilles?"

"Got it. Big and nasty, unsure of origin," pulling on her boots, she got to her feet, "I'm a big Sherlock fan, books and movies, though my favorite is actually the Moriarty from Star Trek: Next Gen. Going by the lost look on Dean's face, I'm gonna guess he's never read the Hound of the Baskervilles."

Rubbing the tip of his nose, Dean spoke to no one in particular, "Man, I gotta learn to speak nerd."


	8. Chapter 7

Climbing in the car, Sam let Skye have the front seat, the two of them discussing the various incarnations of Sherlock Holmes, Dean chiming in with his appreciation of Robert Downey JR as they drove the short distance out to the staging area for their hike.

Double-checking everything by feel, Skye took note of the weaponry on her person. Gun at her back, knife in her boot, second knife clipped to the inside of her waistband, collapsible pocket baton in the right hand pocket of her jacket and the tactical pen in the inner left breast pocket. Plus the extra magazine of silver bullets in the pocket of her jeans.

A little anxious, this was really only her 'second' day on the job, the first being the Woman in White case a week or so ago in Jericho. She knew that while Sam didn't want to babysit Hailey and Ben, they were also still babysitting her. The Rookie. The newbie. The amateur. She just hoped she wouldn't get anyone killed or seriously injured. That would suck.

Listening to the boys discuss which Sherlock movies were best, Dean surprised her by going old school with the 1939 black and white film series. An interesting choice.

Pulling in to the area they were going to leave from, Dean shut off the engine and tucked the keys safely in a pocket. Hailey, Ben and another man were already there. Catching Dean's attention after Sam climbed out, she gave him a long look, "Dean, question for you."

"What do you need, Tink?"

"A vacation in Greece, but that's completely irrelevant to the question," she smiled, amused at her own joke, "Seriously though...why do you fake being dumber than you really are?"

"Don't know what you're talkin' about," grinning, he climbed out of the car, Skye doing the same on the passenger side, "but I think that was a compliment."

Giving Ben a quick wave hello, she joined the others in front of the Impala.

"You guys got room for three more?" As if Dean would actually take no for an answer.

The stranger, a man about 5'11" with close-cut hair, a cranky look on his face and a very large rifle spoke up, "Who are you guys?"

Looking at him over her shoulder, a well-stocked pack on her back identical to the one on Ben's, Hailey answered, "Apparently this is all the Park Service could muster up in search and rescue."

"You're Rangers?" The man, yet to be introduced, look skeptical.

A look Skye was rapidly becoming familiar with.

"That's right," Smiling, Dean nodded, coming off as supremely confident. Something Skye was beginning to suspect was a decent portion show and not so much substance.

Indicating Skye with a jerk of his chin, the skeptic examined her from head to toe, "She's a Ranger, my ass."

"I'm sorry, sir, can't say I want anything to do with your ass," Smiling sweetly, a sure sign she didn't like the guy, cheerfully flipping him off as she walked over to join Ben to resume the conversation they'd started the night before, "And don't be lookin' at mine, either."

"That was professional of her," Giving Sam and Dean a long look before Sam walked off, Hailey addressed Dean, "You're hiking out in biker boots and jeans?"

"Hey, he started it," he looked down at his clothes, hiding the amusement he felt at Skye's response to the jackass. With a shrug, he looked back at Hailey and smiled, walking past her to join the others, "What can I say, I don't do shorts."

The guide, who Skye was starting to think of as Asshole with a capital A in lieu of anything else to call him, watched Dean walk past him and felt the need to open his big mouth, "You guys this this is funny? It's dangerous backcountry out there. Her brother might be hurt and you're making quips, bringing more kids along."

Raising a hand ever-so-slowly, Skye flipped him off again but otherwise pretended she hadn't heard him as Dean exchanged a look with Sam before responding, "Believe me, we know how dangerous it can be."

He didn't just mean their friendly neighborhood flesh-eating monster, either. The two had extensive survival training in all types of environments. John had insisted on it. The Winchester boys could survive a lot longer in this 'dangerous backcountry' with just a knife than the guide could with all his supplies.

"We just wanna help them find their brother, that's all." The guide looked unconvinced but Dean didn't feel the need to waste any more time talking to him. Walking off, he joined Sam who'd started on ahead.

Paying the rest of them no mind, Skye kept Ben company. Falling silent, the boy had a worried look on his face.

"Hey, don't worry. I know they not but seem it, but if Tommy's out there, those two will bring him back. I promise," Nudging him with a denim-clad elbow, she reassured the kid before lowering her voice to a stage whisper, "Don't tell 'em I said this but, they're kinda badass. You'll see."

With a wink, she sped up, quickly catching up to the boys.

* * *

They walked in silence for quite a ways, Roy taking the lead. Roy. He looked like a Roy. And that was not a compliment.

Skye had eventually dropped back to walk with Ben again, Sam bringing up the rear as Roy lead the group, Dean and Hailey right behind him.

It was lovely out there, Skye had to admit, though she still had absolutely zero desire to be out in it, much preferring to watch it on the Nature Channel. The two teens managed to keep up a decent conversation which was top-tier nerd, switching from comic books to novels as they discussed their favorite authors, Sam chiming in once in awhile from behind them as he kept an eye out for any carnivorous company.

Keeping half an ear on them, Dean kept an eye on the surrounding foliage with a smile twitching on his lips when Skye or Sam said something amusing.

"So Roy," he lengthened his stride to catch up with the guide, "You said you did a little hunting?"

Though she hadn't appeared to be paying any attention to anything around her other than her newfound nerd friend, Skye heard Dean strike up a conversation with Roy and drifted closer to the front, wanting to eavesdrop a bit. Is it really eavesdropping if there's no attempt at privacy?

"Yeah," Roy replied, both the expression on his face and the tone of his voice sour and more than a little smug, "More than a little."

"What kind of furry critters do you hunt?" It wasn't hard to figure out exactly what Dean thought of hunting 'furry critters' and it wasn't complimentary.

"Mostly buck," Either Roy didn't notice the disdain in Dean's voice or he just didn't care, "Sometimes bear."

"Tell me, uh, Bambi or Yogi ever hunt you back?" Sounding a bit smug himself, maybe Dean should have remembered that pride cometh before a fall. Or a bear trap, in this case.

Going to take a step, Roy grabbed his shoulder and roughly hauled him back.

"Whatcha doin' Roy," Dean sounded as if he were actually hoping Roy was trying to start shit. Which he probably was. Boy would have loved an opportunity to beat Roy's ass.

Everyone else in the group had gone still except Roy and Skye. Roy picked up a very large stick as Skye brushed the back of Dean's hand. A light touch but more than enough to get his attention when he was so hyper-aware of everything she did.

An amused glint in her eye, she pointed down to the ground in front of his feet seconds before Roy jabbed the end of the stick into the bear trap hidden in the brush.

A self-satisfied smile, with maybe a strong touch of scorn, stretched from ear-to-ear on Roy's annoying face, "You should watch where you're stepping…'Ranger'."

Walking off, he left Dean to contemplate that for a second. Too bad she'd left her phone in the car, Skye would have loved to get the look on Dean's face on camera. Absolutely priceless.

"It's a bear trap." Looking down at the wicked looking teeth of the trap, Dean pursed his lips and managed a chagrined 'okay I deserved that' face. Chuckling, a little self-conscious, he re-stated the obvious. Looking down at the girl still standing by his side, he had to ask, "How did  _you_  see it?"

"I didn't, Roy did," deciding, rather generously if she did say so herself, to ignore the insulting way that question way could be taken, she gave Dean a quick pat on the arm, "I was watching the antagonistic man with the very large gun."

She'd simply followed his line of sight when he'd looked down. Pausing for a second, she wondered aloud, "You think he's compensating for something?"

The bark of laughter from Sam proved he'd been listening in, the sweet smile on Skye's lips becoming more genuine when someone appreciated her sense of humor.

* * *

Before long they'd managed to fall back into the order they'd started out in, more or less. Roy leading with Dean a few steps behind, a little less smug now, Skye beside him with Hailey and Ben behind her and Sam bringing up the rear looking as cranky as ever in spite of the laugh Skye had startled out of him.

Hailey had been watching Dean and Skye, growing frustrated before finally decided to speak up.

"You didn't pack any provisions. You guys are carrying a duffle bag. You're not Rangers, so who the hell are you?" Grabbing Dean's arm, she forced him to a stop as Ben walked by them to keep up with Roy.

Unobtrusively snagging Skye's sleeve, he kept her next to him as Sam stopped behind Hailey. A look passed between the two brothers, Sam silently asking if Dean needed backup and Dean shaking his head, letting Sam know to go on ahead. Skye wondered what it would be like to know someone so well you could have an entire conversation without saying a word. She kind of thought she'd like to find out.

"Sam and I are brothers," Dean sighed, exhaling roughly as he answered her, "Skye is our-"

"Temporary inconvenience," She cut him off, using the phrase Dean had the first time he'd introduced her to Sam.

"-pain in the ass midget sidekick," Giving her a look, he changed what he'd been about to say into something a lot less flattering, "Like Mini-Me with boobs."

Looking unimpressed with their collective senses of humor, Hailey crossed her arms, waiting for him to explain himself.

"Sam and I are looking for our father," turning serious, Dean sighed again, "He might be here, we don't know. I just figured that you and us, we're in the same boat."

Her anger faded, "Why didn't you just tell me in the first place?"

"I'm tellin' you now," managing a half-smile, he looked at the young woman, "So, we okay?"

"Yeah," she looked between him and Skye before finally smiling, "Okay."

"And what do you mean we didn't pack provisions?" Pulling a mostly full family size bag of peanut M&Ms out of his pocket, he smiled and offered some to Skye before turning back to join up with the others.

Refusing the offer of the chocolatey goodness, she looked over at Hailey in time to catch the 'seriously' look she threw Dean's way. Hands in her pockets, Skye rocked back on her heels, "Yeah, I know, but he's got a really nice...car."

"That's true, it is a nice...car," the two young women watched Dean walk away, each enjoying the view, "Are you two…?"

"No...no we're not."


	9. Chapter 8

They'd been hiking for several hours with a couple of short breaks here and there before Roy finally called a halt, announcing they'd arrived, "This is it, Blackwater Ridge."

It didn't seem much different from every other bit of scenery they'd walked through but Skye figured Roy knew what he was talking about. At least where it came to the whole guide thing. Everything else was heavily debatable. Sam had been leading the pack, just a few steps behind Roy, half-eager half-dreading arriving at their destination. Hailey and Ben had been right behind them with Dean and Skye lagging behind, bitching to and about each other in an overly-friendly way. ...Okay, let's just call a spade a spade, they were flirting.

"What coordinates are we at?" Sam knew the answer but he needed to make sure. No sign of John, that was certain.

Pulling out his phone-size GPS, Roy took a minute to pull up their exact location, "Thirty five and minus one eleven."

Confirmation. They were where they were supposed to be. Moving through the underbrush, Dean motioned for Dean to stay in front of him as they passed everyone to join Sam, all trace of their teasing from a few minutes earlier gone.

"You hear that?" Eyes raking over every tree and rock, Dean was tense, noticing more than most people would ever give him credit for.

Not having any idea what he meant, Skye shook her head, arms crossed as his tension communicated itself to her, "Hear what?"

"Exactly," looking down at her, Sam watched comprehension dawn on her. The girl may be small and snarky, but she was not slow. A good survival trait in their line of work, "Not even crickets."

Taking a second, Skye thought back over basically every nature documentary she'd ever seen, horror films too just for good measure, "...shit."

Whatever was out there was close and they were in the middle of its hunting grounds. Turning in a slow circle, she paid close attention to the placement of every tree and bush she could see. She didn't have a photographic memory or anything, those didn't really exist outside of movie and TV, but she did have about as close as you could get. There was a good chance she'd notice if something moved or looked out of place after she'd examined it once or twice. That was how she'd managed to disassemble and reassemble Sam's Taurus after watching him do it only once. It wasn't any sort of trick, she just paid very close attention to detail when it was important to do so.

Turning to look at the rest of their little group, her concern for the civilians grew. She must have looked as worried as she felt, Dean and Sam each placing a hand briefly on either shoulder to reassure her. It was quick enough she didn't have a chance to tense up at the contact, though she'd been getting better about it with every passing day. It helped tremendously that she was starting to trust the two men whose presence she was in 24/7.

"I'm gonna go take a look around," Roy broke the silence, not appearing to notice the unnatural stillness of the forest around them.

Now that it had been pointed out to her, Skye wondered how she hadn't noticed it on her own. Now she totally understood the whole 'the silence was deafening' trope. She'd never realized how unnerving it could be when all those little noises you were used to disappeared. A dozen different bird calls, critters of all sorts rustling in the underbrush, hundreds of insects making an unholy racket...there was none of that here. A chill went down her spine and she took a step back, moving closer to the boys as the feeling of being watched made her skin to prickle. Taking a breath, she noted the reassuring weight of the various weapons on her person. It was comforting. Not much, but a little. The comforting bulk of the two very large men at her sides was a lot more so. "Do you guys feel that or am I nuts?"

"Yes, and yes," Dean quietly confirmed that while she was nuts, it had nothing to do with the current situation. What a sweetheart.

"You shouldn't go off by yourself," Sam tried to caution Roy.

"That's sweet," Chuckling, Roy dripped condescension, "Don't worry about me."

Brushing by them close enough to knock Skye back a step, Roy disappeared into the forest.

Shaking her head, Skye turned back to Hailey and Ben, motioning for the two of them to join their little trio as Dean spoke up, "Alright, everybody stays together, let's go."

Taking up the rear, Skye fell behind the others as they headed further into the trees. She might be out of her depth, but at least she had a vague idea. Hailey and Ben had nothing of the sort and if something did come snarling out of the woods, she'd do her damndest to give them a fighting chance.

Looking at her as he walked past, earbuds in as he listened to his music, Ben frowned. He hadn't spoken to her since Hailey had confronted them about not being Rangers. She couldn't really blame him for being upset at being lied to but hey, better mad than dead.

Staying close together, they wound their way among the towering trees surrounding them, Roy's voice shattering the air as he called out, "Hailey! Over here!"

Without hesitation, Hailey started running through the woods towards his voice, Ben close on her heels with Sam and Dean right behind them. Moving a little more cautiously, Skye kept a little way behind, though that was more out of cautious than anything else. No way was she going to twist an ankle and become more of a liability than she already was.

Breaking into the clearing where Tommy's camp had been, they found it had been demolished. The tents were torn to shreds, supplies dumped and scattered, blood smeared thickly over the ripped canvas and trickling into small puddles. Not what they were hoping to find, but at least they knew they were in the right place...and there were no bodies.

Sam examined the campsite, taking a careful look around to see if he could spot anything that might be helpful in figuring out what had done this.

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer," Moving closer to Dean, Skye spoke quietly to herself, voice barely audible, "Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration-"

Turning to look down at her, lips twitching into a grin in spite of the situation, Dean kept his voice low, "...is that Dune? Are you quoting Dune?"

Managing to look cheerful on the outside even as she was all goosebumps and shivers on the inside, she shrugged, "Would you prefer 'Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that-"

"-that something else is more important than fear," He finished the quote, proving again he was smarter than he gave himself credit for, "Though I like 'Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something is more important than fear; The brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all"."

"That's from the Princess Diaries, Dean," she may hate chick flicks, but who didn't love the Princess Diaries? One of the few cases where the movies were better than the books.

"You weren't supposed to know that," he flashed her a quick grin before they turned their attention back to the horror scene in front of them.

Their little exchange had only taken a minute, not long enough for anyone else to notice. Joining the rest of the group in examining the site, Roy chimed in with his 'professional' opinion, "Looks like a grizzly."

Looking pale, Ben stood with a helplessly lost expression, Skye taking a subconsciously protective stance next to him.

Panic thickening her voice, Hailey started screaming for Tommy, Sam quickly shushing her.

"Why?" the young woman couldn't fathom why he'd want her to be quiet.

"Something may still be out there."

Ominous.

"Skye," Calling out her name from just out of view, Dean got her attention. Glancing back at Sam, she gave him a questioning look, silently asking if he was joining her to look at whatever Dean had found or staying in the camp.

Inclining his head to indicate he was staying, gaze flickering from Hailey and Ben before looking back at her, he made it clear he'd stay to protect the civilians. Hey, turns out she could already have an entire conversation without saying a word. Awesome.

* * *

Stepping over a mound of dirt built up against a fallen tree, Skye skirted around the thick copse of trees that hid Dean from the rest of the camp. Kneeling, he sat on his heels and motioned her over, pointing down at something in the dirt in front of him, "Come look at this."

"What is it?" She stopped next to him, a hand on his shoulder for balance as she leaned over to take a look.

"Your first lesson in woodcraft," he gestured to the deep grooves that ran through the loose topsoil, trying not to put too much thought into the fact that she was voluntarily touching him and didn't seem the least bothered by it. Nope, surely that didn't mean a thing, she was just distracted is all. Right. "The bodies were dragged from the campsite. These furrows were made by their heels as they were pulled away. But see there, where the tracks just vanish? That's weird. There's no other sign of them anywhere that I can find."

"So what are you thinkin' then?"

"Well," Getting to his feet, he brushed the dirt off his hands and looked down at her, standing a bare few inches away, "It's no skinwalker or black dog, that's for sure."

"Thanks for the lesson, Winchester." Tilting her head back, she looked up at him instead of taking a step back, "You know, you're turnin' out to be kinda handy to have around."

"You don't stop complimentin' me and I might start to think you don't actually loathe my existence." Smiling down at her, he was all boyish charm, forgetting for just a second that they were in the middle of the woods with a pack of civilians and something out there that would happily gnaw on their bones.

"How about that..." Grinning, she reached up and fixed the collar of his jacket, "I guess you've been upgraded from pure loathing to a moderate antipathy."

"Have I?"

"Maybe...You know I-"

"Skye? Dean?" interrupted before she could finish whatever she'd been about to say, the two were brought forcibly back to the situation at hand when Sam called for them, concerned that they'd been gone a little too long, "You two alive?"

"Yeah," Dean called out, loud enough to reassure his brother they hadn't been devoured by whatever evil roamed the woods. God that man had the worst timing, "We're coming."

Gesturing for Skye to precede him, he ushered her slowly back to the campsite, "What were you gonna say?"

"Nothin'," she shook her head, brushing off the fact that she'd been about to flat out admit she didn't hate him at all. No big deal, "Nothin' important, anyway."


	10. Chapter 9

Kneeling in the dirt, Hailey picked up a smashed and bloodied silver flip phone. Eyes watering, she tried hard not to cry but the young woman was rapidly losing hope that they'd find her brother. There was so much blood, so much destruction, how could he still be alive?

Taking up a protective spot near Ben and Hailey, Skye kept her attention focused on the treeline as Dean filled Sam in on what he'd found.

Considering he hadn't found much, it didn't take long. Crouching down beside Hailey, Dean started to ask what she'd found before the look on her face stopped him, instead prompting him to try and offer some kind of comfort. Not something he was terribly good at, really, but at least he tried.

"Hey, he could still be alive," he tried to reassure her, the look on Hailey's face letting him know exactly how convincing he wasn't. For just a second, he wished for Skye's possibly paranormal weird ass ability to console people. Course, that would no doubt prove to be more of a pain in the ass than it was worth. Out of nowhere, a cry for help rang out, shattering the silence of the forest around them and causing more than one of them to jump at the sound.

" _Help! Please, somebody, help me_!"

Taking off into the woods, Roy quickly disappeared from view, the boys retrieving their guns from where they'd been concealed and quickly following after thumbing off safeties and chambering rounds. Skye was seconds behind them, following their lead as if she'd done it a dozen times before and not, you know, never.

Dropping back, she let Hailey and Ben move in front of her, figuring someone with a clue should be bringing up the rear. Really, she would much rather have stayed right where they were instead of every damn one of them stringing themselves out among the trees, but she didn't have a whole lot of say in the matter.

Stopping abruptly, the last cry faded away as the group came to a stop in a small clearing, no sign of anyone or anything to be seen anywhere. Turning in a circle, Hailey tried to find the source of the screams, "It seemed like it was coming from around here, didn't it?"

They all knew the answer, none of them felt the need to voice it aloud. It had indeed been coming from the clearing but whatever it was had up and disappeared. Mind clicking rapidly through all of the information they'd gathered about their mystery monster, Sam must have come to a disturbing conclusion, "Everyone, back to camp. Now. Go."

Nobody had the heart to argue with the bossy giant. They'd only been gone a few minutes, ten tops, but by the time they returned to the campsite all their supplies had been taken.

"So much for my GPS and my satellite phone." Scuffing the dirt with the toe of his hiking boot, Roy crouched down to examine the spot where his pack had been.

"Our packs." Disbelief lacing her voice, Hailey voiced what all three civilians had to have been thinking, "What the hell is going on?"

"It's smart." Sam spoke up, beyond aggravated, "It wants to cut us off so we can't call for help."

"He figured it out, didn't he." Hands in her pockets, Skye stood next to Dean after tucking her gun into the holster at the small of her back. Neither Hailey nor Ben had noticed she was armed and she didn't really want them to just yet, knowing they'd ask questions she'd rather the boys answered.

"Seems like." Hands in his own pockets in a mirror image of Skye's own posture, Dean rocked back on his heels as he watched his brother, "Sure wish he'd share with the class."

"Super same."

"You mean someone." Shaking his head, Roy looked at Sam like he'd lost his damn mind, "Some nutjob just stole all our gear."

Ignoring him, Sam made his way across the camp to his partners, quiet as he indicated a spot a little ways away, "I need to speak to you two..in private."

Gesturing for Skye to follow Sam, Dean took up the rear, and not solely because it let him keep an eye on her rear. Which, in his opinion at least, was a pretty damn nice one.

Leading them far enough away to not be overheard, Sam turned and held out a hand, "Let me see Dad's journal."

Could no one in this family say please? Seriously, no manners at all. Reaching into the inner pocket of his leather jacket, he took out the thick volume and handed it to his brother. Leaning over, Skye tweaked Dean's jacket, wondering exactly what all he kept in there, "You could hide a small person in those pockets."

"Hop in." Holding open his jacket, a quick smile flashing across Dean's lips as he issued the invitation.

"I'm not small." Crossing her arms, she turned her back on him to focus her attention on Sam, "I'm Fun Size."

"Oh, I bet you are." Sometimes the filter between Dean's brain and mouth suffered serious malfunctions. Whoops. Happens to the best of us. This time the slip got him a long look from Sam that couldn't have said 'dude, really?' any louder if he'd yelled it.

Turning her head to look up at him, Skye smothered the laughter bubbling under the surface, "... you comin' onto me, Winchester?"

"Course not, don't be ridiculous." He managed to avoid meeting her eyes, changing the subject as quickly as possible, "What are you thinkin', Sammy?"

"You two are both ridiculous." Flipping through the pages, he found the one he'd been looking for and held it out to the two dumbass children.

Not needing to read it once he'd seen what page it was, Dean went dead serious, "Oh come on, Wendigos are in the Minnesota woods or northern Michigan. I've never even heard of one this far west."

Dean's reaction to the possibility did not make Skye feel warm and fuzzy. The simple fact that it worried him was enough to scare her. Smart girl. Taking the book from Sam's hands, Skye read the passage concerning the current monster of the week. It didn't take long. There wasn't much. There didn't need to be.

"Think about it, Dean." Shaking his head, Sam denied his brothers denial, "The claws, the way it can mimic a human voice…"

"You know, if that one episode of 'Charmed' is any indication, you're totally pronouncing that wrong." Handing the journal back to Dean, she gave a tight smile, "Remind me to check on that if we live."

"Great." Tucking the book back into his jacket, he let out a deep sigh as he realized exactly what it meant if it was indeed a Wendigo. Flipping his Colt in his hand, Dean thumbed the safety back on and returned it from whence it came, "Then this is useless."

"We've got to get these people to safety." Turning to head back to camp, Sam spared his brother and the Rookie a brief glance. It wasn't just the civilians' safety he was worried about. The girl would make a highly portable snack.

"You stay right next to me, you hear?" Herding her in front of him, Dean kept a hand in between Skye's shoulder blades, paying no attention whatsoever to any discomfort he may or may not be causing the wannabe Hunter, "If you die, I'll kill you."

"What are you gonna do if it decides I look tasty?" Glancing over her shoulder at him, she blew out an exasperated breath, "Melt its heart with the power of your charming smile?"

"You think my smile's charming?"

"That's not what-" Go figure that's what he'd take away from that, "...Shut up."

Walking back into camp behind Sam, they hung back as he started issuing orders.

"Alright, listen up." Let me tell you, when a 6'5" 220 pound giant of a man starts telling people what to do, the smart ones tend to listen, "It's time to go. Things have gotten more complicated."

"Is it really  _more_  complicated," she couldn't help but comment under her breath where only Dean could hear it, "Instead of just...differently complicated."

"Shh, Sammy's bein' all bossy." Stepping around behind her, he slowly put a hand over her mouth, resting the other on her shoulder as he leaned down to whisper into her ear, "You get mouthy and he might give you dirty looks, maybe even say a bad word."

"What?" Voice sharp with fear, Hailey wondered what Sam could possibly be talking about.

"Don't worry, kid." Looking condescending as ever, Roy dripped scorn, "I think whatever's out there, I can handle it."

Snorting, Skye choked trying to cover a laugh with a cough, plastering an innocent look on her face when Roy glared at her from across the camp.

"It's not me I'm worried about." Trying to keep his temper, Sam looked at Roy, trying to impress upon the stubborn man the seriousness of the situation they'd found themselves in, "If you shoot this thing, you're just going to make it mad. We have to leave. Now."

"One, you're talkin' nonsense." Roy spat out, turning from scorn to anger, "Two, you're in no position to be giving anybody orders."

"We never should have let you come out here in the first place, alright." Seriously contemplating whether he could get to Roy before Roy could get a shot off, Sam barely managed not to growl, "I'm trying to protect you."

" _You_ protect  _me?_ " Roy had moved from scorn to utter contempt of the younger man, not a doubt in his mind that the kid was certifiable, "I was huntin' these woods when your Mommy was still kissin' you goodnight."

"It's a damn near perfect hunter." Sam's voice was gaining in volume, "It's smarter than you-"

Clapping a hand back over Skye's mouth, Dean had a pretty good idea of what she'd been about to say. A fucking potato was smarter than Roy. ...may be what she may or may not have been about to say. Loudly enough for Roy to hear it. Dean's a smart man.

"-and it's going to hunt you down and eat you alive unless we get your stupid sorry ass out of here."

"You don't stop that and I'm gonna start bitin'." Removing Dean's hand, she hissed up at him, elbowing him in the stomach for good measure.

"Is that a threat or a promise." Because the former might be mildly alarming but the latter...was interesting to contemplate.

"Yes."

...What kind of an answer was that?

Laughing in Sam's face, Roy didn't bother hiding his derision, "You know you're crazy, right?"

Put that gun down, Roy, then do that again. Double dare you.

"Excuse me a second," From the look on Sam's face, Dean knew it was time to step in. A firm hand on Skye's shoulder, he gave her his own set of orders, "Do. Not. Move."

The whole family. Bossy as hell.

Snarling, Sam's puppy-dog hazel eyes had gone way more rabid Doberman, "Oh yeah? You ever hunt a Wen-"

Grabbing Sam, Dean shoved him away from Roy, cutting short what he'd been about to say, "Chill out, Sammy."

Was Skye the only one that wanted to see Sam beat Roy's ass? Yes? Dammit. She'dve paid good money for that show.

"Roy." Stepping up, Hailey decided now was a good time to interject herself into the situation, "Stop it. Everybody just stop. Look, Tommy might still be alive and I'm not leaving here without him."

Actually, the possibility of Tommy being alive had gone up if it were indeed a Wendigo. The chances of the rest of them getting out alive, however, had gone down by a marked percentage. Casually ambling over to Sam, hands in her pockets, Skye smiled up at the man, "Want me to shoot him? 'Cause I totally will."

"No, thanks though." Even pissed, her offer got a small smile out of him, "The thought is appreciated."

"It's gettin' late. This thing is a good hunter in the day but an unbelievable hunter at night. We'll never beat it, not in the dark," Speaking up as the voice of reason, Dean took over, "We need to settle in and protect ourselves."

Whether she was actually coming around or was just too tired to argue, Hailey asked the smartest question of the evening, "How?"

Hey, something the Rookie could help with.

"Your matches?" Turning, Skye held out a hand to Dean, knowing he kept a box of matches on him at all times, "I'll go play arsonist. Love that game."

"How do you know I keep matches?" Reaching into his pocket, he fished the box out and dropped it into her palm.

"I have eyes that work." Grinning, she threw a line back at him that he'd used on her a week prior.

"Son of a bitch." Grumbling, he flashed her a rude hand gesture, "Do you always remember everything?"

"Always? No." Returning the gesture, she whistled to get Ben's attention before patting Dean on the arm as she moved away, "But often. Real often."

Recruiting Ben to help clear the fire-pit Tommy had set up, they quickly built up a fire from the bit of wood that the missing man had piled up and the dead branches that were strewn around the campsite.

The boys got the fun job of explaining how they were going to protect the camp by marking the boundaries with runes, as per John's instructions in the journal. Because that didn't seem batshit at  _all_.

* * *

Returning the matches to Dean, she got a quick lesson on the symbols and set about helping with that, keeping half an ear on what was going on around her. Each taking a third of the camp, they had it covered in record time.

"Tell me again." Watching the three weirdos from the comfort of the fire, Ben at her side, Hailey had to ask, "Those are…"

"Anasazi symbols. For protection." Inscribing the last few on his third of the circle they were making around the camp, Dean tried not to sound crazy, "The Wendigo-"

"Yeah, I'm gonna go with 'Charmed' on this one and say you're pronouncing that wrong. Mostly because it's just irritating." Skye interrupted, not far behind Dean in finishing up her bit, "It's Wen-dig-oh, not Wen-deeg-oh."

Making a face at her, he deigned not to comment, only acknowledging what she'd said in the way he exaggeratedly pronounced the word this time around, "Wen-DEEG-oh can't cross over them."

Laughing derisively, Roy looked at Dean and shook his head. He definitely thought the trio were looney tunes and was going to have a grand old time rubbing it in their faces when it turned out to be a grizzly or whatever.

Sitting back on his heels, Dean looked up at the aggravating man, "Nobody likes a skeptic, Roy."

Getting to his feet, Dean stretched and wiped his hands on his jeans before making his way around the fire to crouch down next to Skye.

"I need to go talk to Sam." Moving his hands in a 'sit-stay' gesture like she was a damn Labrador, he managed to be obnoxious about what could have been a simple request, "You stay put and watch them."

"Screw you." Shoving him backward, a smug look on her face when he lost his balance and fell back on his ass, "Do I look stupid to you?"

"Not at the moment." Chuckling, he had to admit he'd deserved that. Climbing back to his feet, he looked down at the girl, "...but there are times."

Gesturing for Dean to give her a hand up, she got to her feet, motioning him to come closer, "Twenty bucks says Roy dies first."

Surprised at the silent request for help he knew she didn't need, he wasn't about to say no. Leaning down so she could speak to him without being overheard, he had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing at her wager.

"You're placing bets on their lives?" Taking a step back, he looked aghast... for a solid three seconds before breaking into soft laughter and sealing the deal with a handshake, "You're on."


	11. Chapter 10

Moving to the edge of the camp, just out of earshot of those gathered around the fire, Dean sat on the fallen log next to Sam, giving his brother a penetrating look.

"You wanna tell me what's goin' on in that freaky head a yours?" Breaking the silence, he finally asked the question that had been spinning in his own brain.

Shaking his head, Sam didn't look up, his attention on the twig he was twirling in his fingers, "Dean…"

"No, you're not fine." Cutting him off before he could say exactly that, Dean insisted on pushing the issue, "You're like a powder keg, man. It's not like you. I'm supposed to be the belligerent one, remember?"

"Dad's not here." Sam answered after a long silence, forcing himself to speak, "I mean, that much we know for sure, right? He would have left us a message. A sign. Right?"

"Yeah, you're probably right." Reluctantly Dean agreed before falling quiet, the family resemblance coming to the fore as they each sat mirroring each other, "To tell you the truth, I don't think Dad's ever been to Lost Creek."

"Then let's get these people back to town and let's hit the road. Go find Dad." Snapping the twig easy between his fingertips, he couldn't quite keep the frustration out of his voice, "I mean, why are we even still here?"

Taking a deep breath, Dean got up and moved to crouch in front of his younger brother, forcing Sam to look him in the eye. Taking John's journal out of the hidden pocket in his leather jacket, he balanced it on the palm of his left hand, placing his right atop it like he was swearing on the bible.

"This right here. This is why...this book. This is Dad's single most valuable possession. Everything he knows about every evil thing is in here and he's passed it on to us." Shifting, he took a quick look over at the group gathered around the fire, silently including Skye in that 'us', though he hadn't made a conscious decision to do so, "I think he wants us to pick up where he left off. You know, saving people. Hunting things. The family business."

"That...that makes no sense. Why? Why doesn't he just call us?" Shaking his hair out of his eyes, Sam ran a hand over his tired eyes, "Why doesn't he tell us what he wants, tell us where he is?"

"I don't know." He didn't have an answer for that. John never explained his reasoning about anything to anyone, certainly not his boys. Maybe especially not his boys, "The way I see it, Dad's given us a job and I intend to do it."

"Dean...no. I have to find Dad. I have to find Jessica's killer." Meeting Dean's eyes for a moment, he forced the words out a throat gone tight before looking down at his hands, "It's the only thing I can think about."

"Okay, alright." Making Sam look at him, Dean reassured him, "Sam, we'll find them, I promise. Listen to me, you've gotta prepare yourself. I mean, this search could take awhile and all that anger? You can't keep it burnin' over the long haul, it's gonna kill you. You gotta have patience, man."

Hypocrite. Not like he was the most patient person on the planet but hey, if it made Sam feel better…

"How does Dad do it?" Examining his hands as if they held the answer, Sam chuckled without a trace of humor before looking back up at his brother, "How do you do it?"

"Well, for one, them." He inclined his head toward the group sitting around the fire, a smile crossing his lips as he watched Skye make Hailey and Ben laugh about something or other, "I figure our family's so screwed to hell, maybe we can help some others. It makes things a little more bearable. And I'll tell you what else helps...killin' as many evil sons a bitches as I possibly can."

Leaning with his arms on his knees, Sam watched the group illuminated by the firelight. "...you know you're dragging her into all this. You're adding her into the 'family business'. Are you okay with that? Does she know what she's getting into?"

Sam had to wonder exactly how Dean felt about the girl. He didn't really think it was just a physical attraction but was it a crush? Something more? It had only been a couple of weeks but it wasn't like weirder things didn't happen on a regular basis. Hell, a little love would be downright healthy.

"Dude, trust me when I tell you our family is the fuckin' Waltons compared to what she's comin' from. We're a step up for a change." Getting up from where he'd been crouching on his heels, Dean moved over to sit on the log next to his brother, eyes on the slim brunette in that ridiculous denim jacket, a look on his face that Sam had never seen before, "She might have had a couple of biological 'parents' but the girl has never had family. She's never even had somebody she could call a friend."

Lapsing into silence for a minute, Dean shook his head before meeting his brother's eyes, dead serious, "If her mother was still alive, I'd shoot the bitch in the face."

"What...what exactly did you guys talk about last night?" It had been bothering him all day. Well, bother wasn't quite the right word, but it had definitely been weighing on his mind, "Your whole dynamic has just shifted. Literally overnight. Even your insults aren't insulting anymore."

"I can't tell you what we talked about. It's not my place to say. Ask her sometime." Running a hand through his hair before spreading his hands in a 'fuck if I know' gesture, "Man, I know it's only been like, what, seventeen days? Something like that but it feels like a lot longer. I don't know I just-I like her, Sam."

Holding up a hand to ward off the question he knew Sam was opening his mouth to ask, he chuckled, "No, I don't know how much. I mean, a lot, but...I have no fuckin' clue how this is gonna go but... I mean, to go through what she's gone through...The fact that she's up walkin' and talkin' is damn near amazing and she's out here laughing and smiling and trying to take care of people, still tryin' to see the good in people and that's-that's ...special."

Dropping his head into his hands, he snapped his mouth closed before he could ramble on, knowing how stupid he must sound right now. He'd just never been too good with words, that was Sam's thing.

"Okay, I get it." More or less. Sam leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, a smile playing around his lips, "You know, she'll kill me if she ever finds out I told you this but...she feels the same way."

"Seriously?" Pulling his hands away, Dean looked up at him, "She told you that? Because, dude, if you're fuckin' with me, the Wendigo will be the least of your worries."

"Seriously." Laughing, Sam nudged Dean with a knee, "Even if she hadn't said anything, it's so obvious Helen Keller could see it. Christ, Dean, I don't think I've ever seen you nervous over a girl before."

"Then why is she givin' me such a hard time?" Besides the fact that he was doing the same to her? Dean, Captain Oblivious.

"If you ever tell her I told you any of this, I will personally make sure you never eat another cheeseburger in your life." Lowering his voice to make doubly sure there was no way anyone would overhear, Sam tried to explain her reasoning, "She says she's afraid to start anything because, and I quote, 'has Dean ever had a relationship that lasted longer than it took to buy the condoms?' "

Dean made a strangled noise in the back of his throat, "Well, she's not wrong."

"Yeah well, she's never had any kind of a relationship at all and she's ...concerned...that once your 'curiosity' is satisfied, again her words not mine, that you'll lose interest which could turn ugly considering you guys are still stuck with each other unless and until the whole curse thing is resolved. Which, Bobby says you have to die for that so…"

"So…" Sitting very still for a moment, processing everything Sam had divulged, Dean bit his lip before speaking again, "What the hell do I do, Sammy?"

"Do you want an actual relationship?" Studying his brother for a long moment, Sam wondered if he knew what he was getting into, "Not just no-strings-attached one-nights-stands?"

"I think so, yeah."

"Well, you better be damn sure because if you hurt her, I will shoot you." It's a toss-up on whether Sam was exaggerating or not, "I like her, she's kind of like a little sister and it's nice being the older brother for a change. She's a good kid and she doesn't deserve to be jerked around."

"Okay, but Sammy." He had no intention of jerking Skye around, more serious about this than he was letting on.A one-night stand he could handle, even a whole weekend, but he legitimately had no idea how to go about anything more serious than that. Hell, it was rare that he'd even made a point to remember a girl's name come morning. It had never mattered, he knew he'd never see any of them again and that had been just fine with him, "What do I  _do?"_

"Take it easy. Go slow. This is an 'actions speak louder than words' situation." Leaning back, Sam tried hard not to smirk. He'd never figured he'd be giving his older brother relationship advice. Dean had never had a hard time finding female company but it was becoming apparent the man was clueless about anything beyond that. And it was hilarious. Clasping his hands together, he caught Dean's eye, trying to drive his point him. "Prove to her that her worries are unfounded. That you care. ...If you're serious about the girl that, I have to point out one more time, you've known for a whole two weeks."

"...shut up, Sammy."

Any further revelations or chick flick moments were rather rudely interrupted by a cry for help that throbbed in the still night air that hung thick around the camp. All six occupants of their little group got to their feet, heads swiveling toward the source of the call.

" _Help!_ "

Circling the perimeter of the camp, flashlight in hand, Sam searched the darkness beyond the circle of firelight. Standing on the other side of the fire, Dean chambered a round in his Colt, the sound sharp and unmistakable. Not sure why, not like it would do any good against the nightmare creature stalking them.

Standing between Ben, Hailey and the woods around them, Skye kept her attention on the trees, knowing the chances of seeing anything before it struck were slim to none.

" _Help!"_

It out again, agony in its voice.

"It's trying to draw us out." Holding out a cautioning hand, Dean tried to keep everyone calm, "Just stay cool, stay put."

"Inside the 'magic circle'." Mocking their protections, Roy raised the very large, and entirely useless, gun he held clenched tightly in both hands.

"Hey Winchester…make it $40." Glancing across the fire at Dean, Skye upped the ante, not even a little twinge of remorse that she was literally betting on someone's life.

" _Help! Help me!"_

Growls interspersed the cries for help. Sounds of a very large predator prowling around a people buffet. The last call turned into a growl that grew into a roar, raising goosebumps on arms and prickles up spines.

"Okay, that's no grizzly." Admitting that he'd been wrong, Roy pointed the muzzle of his gun toward the darkness between the trees.

"No shit, Einstein." Backing up a step, Skye glanced behind her at Hailey and Ben, not bothering to lower her voice, "That's what we've been tryin' to tell you."

"It's okay." Putting an arm around her little brother, Hailey reassured him as best she could, "We'll be alright, I promise.

A growl and the rustle of dead leaves. Branches breaking as the Wendigo moved just past the treeline, feeling close enough to reach out and touch though no one could see a thing. Screaming, Hailey stumbled back, pulling Ben down with her and putting herself between him and the unseen threat.

Skye couldn't blame her. If it wasn't for years of practice not making a sound when she was afraid, she'd have screamed too. Shit was scary.

Growling and something moving fast in the underbrush. The retort of Roy's rifle as he took a shot, then a yowl of pain as the idiot took two more shots, winging the thing.

"I hit it!"

With that announcement, Roy took off into the trees, eager to see what it was that had been menacing the camp. Gleeful at the prospect of proving the weirdos wrong. It had to be something normal. A cougar maybe.

"Roy, no! Roy!," Dean cried out a warning, taking two steps after him before stopping just long enough to give Skye orders, "Watch them!"

With that, Dean was off, sprinting after Roy's dumb ass, Sam close on his heels.

"Shit." Reaching around to the small of her back, Skye retrieved her gun and brought it into view, thumbing the safety off. She knew it wouldn't do any good but, worse comes to worst, maybe she could piss it off and lure it away from the others. With her free hand, she grabbed Hailey's jacket, hauling the woman back behind her so she and Ben were between Skye and the fire at their backs, "I gotta say, if Roy gets them killed, I'm gonna  _so_  pissed."

Wide-eyed at the weapon that had appeared in Skye's hand, Ben stood silent for a minute before finding his voice, "Seriously, who are you people?"

" _They're_  Hunters, just not the cuddly forest creature kind." She didn't turn to look at them as she spoke, keeping her eyes on the trees, "I'm just a trainee. Lucky you."

They could hear the boys crashing through the brush, trying to catch Roy before he did something stupid. Well. Stupider.

"It's over here!" Roy called out, exuberant, "It's in the tr-"

His words cut off abruptly and Skye figured she just won forty bucks. She felt a little bad about it but hey, they'd tried to warn him. Several times. Horror movie rules, never be the skeptical asshole.

Bringing up her gun, she pivoted slowly on a heel, following the sounds of movement in the underbrush coming toward them. Hands thankfully steady, they didn't betray the trembling she was doing on the inside. Yay for having a decent poker face earned through years of abuse! Wait. Yeah, nope, that was definitely the sucky way to earn that.

"Easy, Tink." Stepping out of the darkness, Dean announced their presence, Sam a step behind him, "It's us."

"What were you going to do anyway?" Raising a brow, Sam eyed the gun, "Piss it off?"

"Pretty much." Clicking the safety back on, she stuck the gun in her pocket, wanting to keep it close at hand, "Shoot at it, piss it off, try to look extra tasty and get it away from the camp."

"Well, you've managed at least one of those things." It seemed Dean had given up trying to pretend he wasn't flirting. That  _they_  weren't flirting. Because they so were.

Looking up at him, she made quite sure he saw the 'keep trying Romeo' look she shot his way, "Such a smooth talker, Winchester."

"Settle in and get comfortable." Ignoring his juvenile companions, Sam was back to issuing orders, "Nobody steps foot outside this camp till full daylight."

None of them were at all inclined to argue.

* * *

Settling Ben and Hailey in by the fire as well as she could, Skye made herself comfortable against a fallen tree a few yards away on the edge of the circle, her back to the fire so it wouldn't interfere with her night vision. Pulling up the ankle of her jeans, she slipped silver butterfly knife out of her boot. Dean had gotten it for her, more of a toy than anything, and she'd been getting pretty decent at flipping it around. It was something to kill time, anyway.

Making himself as comfortable as possible, Sam took a spot against a large tree stump on the other side of the camp, well away from everyone. He was still just a tad grumpy.

Checking on Sam for a few minutes, Dean made sure he was as okay as could be expected at the moment before making his way around the edge of the camp. Standing quietly in the darkness for a few minutes, he watched Skye fling around the blade he'd bought. Really, it looked more impressive than it was. She was getting pretty good, though. She should be, he'd watched her practice for hours in the backseat of the Impala when she had nothing else to do.

Getting a little closer, he could hear her singing softly to herself. Huh, she actually sounded better alone, without a radio to back her up. ".. _.when the night has come and the land is dark and the moon is the only light we'll see…"_

Moving quietly, he went to sit next to her, leaning back against the fallen tree a bare hands-breadth away. Waiting until she'd finished her little solo, he couldn't help making a crack about it, "Here I thought you didn't like any kind of real music."

"I like everything." Crossing her legs, she sat up a little straighter, "I just listen to pop and metal exclusively to irritate you."

Because of course she did.

"You really are a brat, you know that?" Stretching his legs out in front of him, he leaned over and pulled his wallet out of his pocket, digging out a $20 and two $10's, "Here."

"You know, I was kinda hoping nobody would die and I'd lose." Flipping her knife closed, she took the cash and stuffed it into the inner breast pocket of her jacket, "Could use the money though. I'm a little strapped right now."

"Remind me to teach you how to hustle pool. Darts too. And poker, I bet you'd be great at poker." Tucking his wallet away, he reclined, trying to get as comfortable as possible. Really, he'd been in worse conditions. Aside from the Wendigo that desperately wanted them for lunch, this wasn't half bad, "Great way to make some quick cash."

"I think there was a compliment in there somewhere." Leaning over, she nudged his arm with her shoulder, abruptly changing the subject to what she figured was really on his mind, "You feelin' bad about Roy?"

"Nah," he lied, "Course not. I don't have feelings, remember?"

"Yup, none at all." Not like she knew better or anything, "It's not your fault, Dean. You did warn him. Multiple times."

"Yeah…" picking up a twig, he fidgeted with it for a minute before breaking it into tiny pieces and tossing them away one by one, "I know."

"But you're still gonna feel bad about it because you're not a total asshole."

"Did you just admit I'm not an asshole?" That got a smile out of him, guilty conscience or no guilty conscience.

"No." Smiling, she leaned her head back and watched the sky, knowing it was still hours until dawn, "I admitted you weren't a  _total_ asshole."

"Hey, progress." Sliding down, Dean settled in a little closer to the girl who'd so struck his interest, "Gotta admit, you're a little less of a bitch than I thought."

"Aren't you a sweetheart." Somehow or other she managed to end up leaning a little closer, "It's a wonder you're still single."

"Hey, you started it."

"Did not."

"Did too."

There's an old total cliche where two people that are very interested in each other end up just barely touching. Whether it be a shoulder, or hands or what have you, it's a very overused trope. It's also a very accurate one.

Welcome to the protagonists, people. This kind of thing should be expected. It's going to happen. A  _lot._

They're lame like that.


	12. Chapter 11

Pastel colors streaked the morning sky, the birds waking up around them as the sun finally decided to make an appearance after the long night. Getting to his feet and stretching out the kinks, Dean offered Skye a hand up, both of them wishing for a strong cup of coffee and a hot shower. The two of them had spent the last hours of the night talking about movies and general pointless bullshit with the occasional bad joke thrown in. For them at least, the night had passed surprisingly quickly. Not so much for the others.

Somehow Ben had managed to doze off an on, Hailey watching protectively over him. Sam had sat through the night moody and alone.

Going to check on Ben and Hailey, Dean left Skye to check on Moody and Alone. Leaning against the tree stump he'd made his home, she crossed her arms and looked down at him. Well, not too far down, even seated he was almost as tall as she was, "You okay there, Sam?"

Nodding, he didn't bother with a verbal reply, running the beads of a rosary that had been stuck in the pages of John's journal through his fingers.

"You know I went to Catholic school?" Crouching, she sat on her heels, reaching out to touch one of the beads with the tip of a finger.

Raising a brow, he looked up at the girl, "Really?"

"Really really." Flashing a rueful smile, she nodded, "From sixth grade through graduation. Not something I recommend. Nuns are the worst."

He managed to give her a smile. Or well, something that could have counted as one if you'd never seen a smile before, "That sucks."

"No joke. And confession? Saying twenty Hail Mary's and Our Father's because you accidentally stole a piece of chalk? Such bullshit." Turning serious, she briefly laid a hand on Sam's arm, the Skye equivalent of a full-on hug. Well except where Dean was concerned. Apparently. Because that makes sense, "You wanna talk about it?"

Shaking his head, Sam turned as chatty as your average mime.

"You know, talkin' about it is good for you." Tilting her head sideways, she looked at the shaggy-headed young man with real concern, "Keepin' everything bottled up is really bad for your health. Leads to stress, anxiety, anger issues…"

"Hypocrite."

"Yup," She agreed wholeheartedly, "I am speaking from experience here, young one. Heed my words of wisdom."

"...You're younger than I am."

"And yet so much smarter and better looking."

That got a smile, a real one this time. Bouncing to her feet, Skye stuffed her hands in her pockets and looked down at the crotchety giant, "Don't brood too much longer, you'll get wrinkles."

* * *

Walking across the camp to join the others, she arrived in the middle of Dean giving the 'the truth is out there' speech as he examined the deep claw marks that had been dug into the trunks of the trees. Fun times.

"...I don't...I mean-" Hailey tried to get through the thought she'd started before Skye joined them, "These types of things, they aren't supposed to be real."

Leaning against a tree, Skye kept quiet for now. It was a worldview-altering moment for Hailey and Ben, though really Ben didn't seem too interested in the conversation. Granted, that could be because he was in shock.

"I wish I could tell you different." He wasn't lying. Dean didn't at all like having to inform people that there were real honest-to-God monsters in the world. It was one of the suckier parts of the job. You know, aside from the constant near-death.

"How do we know it's not out there." Scanning the trees, Hailey hoped for a reassuring answer and sadly wasn't going to get it, "Watching us?"

"We don't." Lifting a hand in apology, Skye gave a sympathetic smile, knowing her words were less than comforting.

"But we're safe for now." Looking back over his shoulder, Dean gave Skye a quick smile, gesturing for her to join them.

"How do you know about this stuff?"

"It uh-." Looking thoughtful, Dean took a second before answering, "It kinda runs in the family."

"So, if it's a family thing." Looking at Skye, Hailey seemed a little puzzled. And a lot tired, "How did you end up doing this?"

"I'm a-well, I'm kind of a stray they got stuck with." Flashing her a grin at her explanation, Dean's attention was quickly caught by Sam as he made his appearance.

"Hey, so, we've got half a chance in the daylight." He took a deep breath, speaking to everyone but addressing Hailey directly as they all got to their feet, "I, for one, want to kill this evil son of a bitch."

Sharing a 'huh' look, Dean and Skye both shrugged. This was a 180 from Sam's attitude of the previous night, but not an unwelcome one.

"Well." Dean stepped up, "You know I'm in. Tink?"

"I could think of worse things to do on such a lovely morning." Shrugging, she stepped up next to Dean, "Granted, I could also think of a lot better ones, too."

Smiling, Sam pulled out John's journal, giving it to Hailey and Ben for a quick monster lesson, "Okay, so, we're going after a Wendigo. Wendigo is a Cree Indian word, means 'Evil that devours'."

Because the language lesson was really crucial right now.

"They're hundreds of years old." Dean chimed in, "Each one was once a man, sometimes an Indian. Other times a frontiersman or a hunter."

"How's a man turn into one of those things?" Trying hard not to sound freaked out, Hailey mostly succeeded, to her credit.

"Well, it's always the same." Raiding the campsite, Dean answered in between poking through things that might come in handy, "During some harsh winter, guy finds himself starving, cut off from supplies or help. Becomes a cannibal to survive, eating other members of his tribe or camp."

"Like the Donner party." Finally, Ben spoke up, looking a little less upset than a lot of kids would be right now.

Touching the tip of her nose with a finger, Skye implied Ben was exactly right. Or 'on the nose', "Remember folks, eat your Wheaties, not your friends."

"Funny." Giving her a pat on the head, Sam gave her a quick grin before she swatted his hand away.

Continuing his explanation, he turned serious again, "Cultures all over the world believe that eating human flesh gives a person certain abilities-"

"Speed. Strength." Cutting in, Skye added her own admittedly limited knowledge, "Immortality."

"You eat enough of it…," Fiddling with something in his hands, Dean didn't look up as he spoke, "You become this less-than-human thing."

"And you're always hungry." Watching Dean, curious as to what he was up to, Skye couldn't help making a joke. Humor, great defense mechanism, "Like Dean with IHops all you can eat pancakes."

Circling around the camp, he seemed unable to keep still ready to get this show on the road. Pausing behind Skye, he thought about her comment for a second, not quite able to disagree, "I'd kill for some pancakes right now."

"Don't die and I'll buy you breakfast." A promise easily kept...if they lived.

"Deal."

Ignoring them, caught up in her own thoughts, Hailey hesitated to ask, "So...if that's true, how can Tommy still be alive?"

Trading looks, the three Hunters took a vote and silently elected Dean to fill her in, "You're not gonna like it."

Well, she wouldn't like her brother being dead either, so there's that.

"Tell me."

"More than anything, a Wendigo knows how to last long winters without food," Man, how did he always end up getting picked to fill people in on this shit? Not fair. They should take turns or flip a coin or something. Being the leader fucking sucked, "It hibernates for years at a time. When it's awake, it keeps its victims alive. It stores them so it can feed whenever it wants. ...if your brother's alive, it's keeping him somewhere dark, hidden, and safe and we gotta track it back there."

Somehow.

"Dark, hidden and safe." Falling back to stand beside Sam, Skye kept her voice quiet enough to afford some small amount of privacy as she thought aloud, "...like a mineshaft?"

"You learn well, young Padawan." He barely kept himself from ruffling her hair.

"Dean's right, you are a nerd."

"So are you."

"And proud of it." Rocking forward to bounce on her toes, she smirked up at him, "Think you just won the nerd crown with that one though, Master Jedi."

"Weird, because you just took it back with that crack."

Continuing their far more serious conversation, Hailey and Dean paid the two of them no mind and poor Ben, well, he wasn't paying a lot of attention to much of anything.

"How do we stop it?" Hailey, finally asking the important questions.

"Well," Dean sighed, "Guns are useless. So are knives."

Swallowing hard, Ben looked pale, wondering if there was a way to kill the monster at all.

Fear not, Dead had a solution. He usually did, "We gotta torch the sucker."

"Damn." Sticking her hands deep in her pockets, Skye tried to stand still and didn't manage too well, just about fidgeting out of her boots, "I didn't bring marshmallows."

* * *

Ben edged closer to Skye, watching Dean round up their little troupe as they prepared to head out to track the cannibalistic fuckface back to wherever it laired up.

"Why-how are you so calm about this?" The kid looked at her like she was either nuts, or the coolest teen on the planet. Skye herself leaned heavily toward the former, "Have you been doing this awhile?"

"Not mad at me anymore?" Smiling at him, she tilted her head to look up at the boy, "I'm not calm, Ben. I'm really, really not. I'm terrified."

"But hey, it's better to laugh than to scream, right?" Chuckling and somewhat proving her point, she rocked back on her heels again, "I've been at this...what...not even three weeks, I think. This would be exactly my second job. Reassuring, ain't I?"

Exaggeratedly wiggling her eyebrows at him, she managed to get a smile before they all departed their semi-safe little magic circle. Dean took the lead, of course, with Hailey right behind him. Ben stuck close to Skye with Sam bringing up the rear. Not exactly an unexpected line-up.

It was a pretty quiet trek, none of them having much to say and no one wanting to draw unwanted attention to themselves if they didn't have to. There were clear signs of their freaky fuzzy friend at regular intervals. Claw marks furrowed deeply into the trees, streaks of blood, small patches of thin white fur… Too clear. Breaking off from the group, Sam stepped out to take a look around before calling his brother over, "Dean."

"What is it?" Stopping, Dean made his way to Sammy's side and followed his gaze high up into the trees.

"You know, I was thinking. Those claw marks, so clear and distinct." Chuckling, though there was no humor in the sound, Sam pointed out what should have been obvious, "They were almost too easy to follow."

Well, the boy wasn't wrong.

A deep growl, the trees and underbrush just a few feet away rustling violently, was more than enough to get their attention. Falling back to flank the other three, the boys kept their eyes on the trees but knew they were seriously fucked if it chose to make its move right there. The bastard had been herding them, leading them in merry circles right where he wanted them to go.

Placing a reassuring hand on Ben's shoulder, Skye kept him close. Not that she'd be much good against the canny creature, but hey, she'd at least give it the old college try.

Stopping directly beneath exactly the wrong tree, Hailey caught their attention when she looked up and screamed, falling backward as Roy's body came crashing down where she'd been standing just a few seconds prior. Giving Hailey a hand up, Sam brushed her off before turning to his brother, waiting for confirmation of what they already knew. Checking the body, Dean didn't seem at all surprised, "His neck's broken."

The silence that fell at that announcement was interrupted by growls that seemed to come from a dozen different places at once. The creature daring from place to place faster than any human could follow...and they still hadn't gotten a single sight of it.

Shoving Ben behind her, Skye's voice was low as she spoke, all of half a second before Sam and Dean echoed her words, "Run."

Not a one of them needed any more encouragement than that, all of them taking off in the opposite direction from where the growls had originated.

Within seconds they'd been separated, Sam, Skye, and Ben in one direction with Hailey and Dean in another.

Quickly realizing he'd lost sight of Sam and Skye, Dean stopped, Hailey coming to a standstill next to him. Looking up, her scream echoing off the trees around them, terrified of the towering figure that loomed above them.


	13. Chapter 12

With long legs that could have easily outdistanced the much shorter teenagers, Sam somehow managed to keep the presence of mind to shorten his stride enough to stay with them. Leading them away from the monster, Sam only stopping to help Skye get Ben back up when he got caught up on a fallen log and lost his footing.

A scream split the air, instantly recognizable as Hailey's in spite of the terror it held, causing pulses to jump and chests to tighten. Shit.

Without hesitation, the three of them took off again, zeroing in on the clearing where the scream had originated. Ben yelling at the top of his lungs for Hailey as they all came to a skidding, breathless halt to find… Nothing. The forest was quiet around them. No birds. No critters. No insects. No Hailey ...and no Dean. Has shit been said? Because shit.

Spotting something out of place just behind where Sam had come to a stop, Skye leaned down to pick up the broken bottle, liquid dripping from the cloth hanging out of the broken neck. The molotov Dean had fashioned a little bit ago. Holding it out to Sam, her chest tightened as a bolt of fear striking from her head to her boots. Sharing a stricken look, the Winchester and the eventually-would-be-a-Winchester called out in unison, "Dean!"

No answer. No sound to give them a clue to where the Wendigo had taken the missing members of their temporary little tribe.

* * *

Circling the clearing slowly, they widened the circle a little at a time, determined to find something to point them in the right direction. Anything.

"If it keeps its victims alive..." Speaking a full sentence, one of the few since this whole ordeal began, Ben wasn't sure if he really wanted the answer or not,"...why would it kill Roy?"

"Because Roy was an asshat." Okay, not the most diplomatic way to put it, but accurate, "If someone shot you, you'd wanna snap their neck too. Take the lesson, Ben. Don't be an asshat."

"Yeah." Nodding without taking his eyes off the ground around them, Sam agreed, "Skye's right. He shot it and pissed it off."

"Just like you said was gonna happen, Sam. Maybe if he'd fucking  _listened_ , he'd still be breathing."

"Hey!" The excitement in Ben's voice penetrated the fear-turned-anger roiling in Skye's chest, "They went this way!"

Kneeling in the dirt and grass a few feet in front of Sam and Skye, Ben picked something up and held it up for their inspection. Something that was a bright blue color not found in nature. Leaving off where they'd been looking, the two quickly made their way to where Ben knelt to examine the little treasure in his hand. M&Ms. Brightly colored peanut M&Ms.

"...clever, Winchester." The tight band around her chest loosened a little. If he were dropping M&Ms then he was alive. Alive and not too injured to think of a way to let them know where he and Hailey had been taken.

Chuckling, Sam tossed the blue M&M up and caught it again, eyes drawn to the ground where the occasional brightly-colored candy-coated chocolate could be spotted against the dark background of earth, "It's better than bread crumbs."

"He's brilliant." Stepping forward, Skye lead the way, voice drifting back over her shoulder to reach Sam's ears, "...don't you dare fuckin' tell him I said that. Ever."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Moving as quietly as possible, the three of them followed the yellows, blues greens and reds of the candy shells, ultimately leading them to an old abandoned mineshaft. Surprise, surprise. Okay, no surprise at all actually. It was 'My Bloody Valentine' playing out with a freaking Wendigo as Tom.

The mine was hard to spot until you were right on it, the rusted tin roof covered in overgrowth and the wooden entrance blending in with the surrounding trees. Taking the lead, Sam stopped briefly to examine the sign on the dilapidated wooden gate.

'Warning! Danger! Do Not Enter Extremely Toxic Material' in bright red and white catching the eye. More than likely enough to keep out your average hiker, not so much for your average Hunter.

Making a face that said plain as day 'oh fucking well', Sam glanced back at his companions before heading through the gate. Long broken and gaping open, it certainly wasn't any kind of hindrance to entry.

Pushing Ben in front of her, Skye wanted him between her and Sam, the safest place possible in this incredibly unsafe conditions. Admittedly, without an effective weapon, Skye herself was the weakest and most vulnerable member of the group. Of course, putting the boys in front of her also prevented them from seeing her blanche as she entered the shaft itself, the briefest of pauses before forcing herself inside. She wasn't terribly fond of enclosed spaces.

It was with a sigh of relief that she saw the mineshaft wasn't really small at all, more than big enough for the three of them to walk three abreast. Not nearly as tight as she'd been imagining it would be.

Turning on his flashlight, Sam let the beam play along the rocky floor in front of them, picking out the metal struts of the rails that had once carried minecarts up from the depths.

They hadn't gone far when a growl echoed down the corridor, Sam and Skye grabbing Ben and shoving him into a side passage, Sam closest to the entrance with an arm pressing Ben back against the wall in a classic 'soccer-mom-arm-save' kind of move. Clasping a hand over Ben's mouth as he whimpered, Skye put a finger to her lips. It was definitely a 'whimper and flee' kind of situation, they just couldn't afford to actually do that.

Leaning out, Sam determined the coast was clear and gave them a sharp nod, keeping a hand on Ben's arm as he stepped back out into the tunnel.

Skye didn't need the encouragement. She wanted to find Dean, and Hailey of course, and get the unholy fuck out of there. And they couldn't do that if they were cowering in a side passage, now could they. Courage is not the absence of fear… Which is good, because she was absolutely  _terrified._

Skye walked on the metal rails, not wanting to risk the creak of wood from the slats laying across the middle. It was the only thing that saved her from plummeting twenty feet when those same slats gave out beneath Sam and Dean, sending them dropping into the darkness below.

Letting out a strangled gasp, she barely kept herself from shouting, dropping to her knees and wrestling the tactical pen out of her pocket. Clicking on the small but powerful LED light, she shined it into the dust-swirled cavern that had swallowed her friends.

They were both breathing, she could hear them, and they were both moving. Oh, thank whatever God was listening. Or Goddess. Or minor deity. Saint? Whatever. Letting out a relieved breath, her flashlight picked out the boys before it fell on a pile of bright white that seemed out of place amid the dark wood and earth.

Ben's eyes were drawn to it. Inhaling sharply, he jerked away as it resolved itself into a neatly stacked pile of grinning skulls. Recovered, Sam sat up and grabbed Ben, clapping a hand over his mouth before he could scream, "Shhh. It's okay, it's okay."

The kid somewhat calmed, he got to his feet and looked up as Skye clicked off her flashlight, gesturing for her to jump down. Like a crazy man. That was a long ass drop for a small ass person.

Holding up his arms, he silently promised he'd catch her.

Okay, she could either stay up there, alone...or she could trust that he'd could catch her if he said he could. Funnily enough, dropping into a big hole in the ground to be caught by a giant man was actually the saner option. Nobody in their right mind would stay up there with a legit monster roaming around. Strength in numbers and all that.

Sliding down into the opening, she caught her weight on her hands, splinters from the old warped wood digging into her palms. Taking a deep steadying breath, she let go. A short but horrifying drop later and she landed right in Sam's waiting arms, the behemoth taking her weight like it was no trouble at all. Smiling tightly as he set her on her feet, she managed to squeak out a whispered, "Thanks, My Tallest."

From the look on his face, he didn't get the reference. Doom doom doom doom doom. She'd explain it to him later. Nodding a terse greeting to Ben, she got her shit together and took the lead down the tunnel they'd found themselves in.

* * *

A murmur of sound, the rust of cloth and the creak of a rope directed her attention to a small room off the side of the main tunnel. With a quick glance behind her, she cautiously peeked around the corner.

Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of Dean hanging by his wrists from a hook driven into the rock of the wall, Hailey hanging from a rope a few feet behind him suspended from a similar hook anchored in the ceiling. Looks like they'd found the things larder.

Covering the ground between them with no actual memory of doing, she was dismayed to see the man covered in a layer of dirt and blood. That he was injured was obvious, the extent of his injury was not.

"Dean." Anxious, she placed a hand on his chest and felt a surge of relief at the strong, steady heartbeat thumping under her palm. Injured yes, but not nearly as badly as he could have been. She moved her hand to his cheek as he groaned, coming round, "Dean...come on, Winchester, open those pretty eyes for me."

"Anyone ever tell you…" Slowly opening those green eyes, even brighter against the grime on his skin, he took a deep breath, "You smell like honeysuckle."

"...Yeah, okay. You have a head injury." She took a step back, Sam getting Dean loose by simply pulling the metal hook out of the rock it been forced into. Jesus, the man really was a friggin' tank. She spared a moment to be thankful he was on their side because they'd be seriously screwed if he weren't. Moving in beside Sam, she took Dean's weight as he collapsed, easing him down to sit against the wall, "I've got him, Sam. Get Hailey."

Taking her at her word, Sam left her to do her part and turned to help Ben rescue his sister. Flipping open the tactical knife she kept clipped to the waistband of her jeans, she made short work of the rope binding his wrists, tossing it to the far side of the room before she examined his head. "Are you okay?Let me see your eyes."

"Mm...yeah." Groaning, he winced and caught her hand when she tried to tilt his head back to get him to look at her. Biting back a gasp of pain as he sat up, he managed a tight smile, "I'm good."

He wasn't, but he wasn't dead, so he was good enough.

"You're a terrible liar." Sitting back on her heels, she couldn't go far. He hadn't relinquished her hand and showed no sign of doing so anywhere in the near future.

"I'm a very good liar, thank you." Groaning again, he tried to ignore the throbbing in his skull and the ache in his arms, "Where is it?"

"Gone for now."

They both turned as Hailey gasped, catching sight of a man hanging in the shadows at the far end of the room. Scrambling to her feet, Ben right behind her, Skye would swear neither of them touched the ground as they made their way to the man's side.

"Tommy, I presume." Skye, master of deduction.

Sam, Hailey, and Ben took care of Tommy, who was in pretty bad shape but was breathing for all that.

Spotting a large canvas bag on the other side of the room, Dean caught Skye's attention and motioned for her to take a look, not particularly wanting to move until he had to. Reluctantly, he released her hand, letting her get to her feet. Stepping over his outstretched legs, she leaned over the open bag, a slow smile spreading as she held up the contents.

"Nice." Smiling, teeth white against his bloodied skin, he got to his feet. Trying not to wince, mostly unsuccessfully, he waved off Skye's attempt to help.

"Stubborn."

"Takes one to know one, Tinkerbell." taking the objects from her hands, he held one up and got Sam's attention, "Check it out."

"Flare guns…" It took Sam all of a second for it to register, a grin springing up as he chuckled, "That'll work."

Dean gave Skye a two-second lesson on how to work a flare gun. Pretty much the same way as a real one. Load, point, shoot. End of lesson. Coincidentally there were three flare guns. One for each of the people that had a shot at, well, taking a shot.

* * *

In a matter of minutes they'd regrouped and were heading out to the main tunnel, Dean and Skye taking the lead, Ben and Hailey keeping Tommy on his feet, barely, and Sam bringing up the rear. A creak of metal and a deep growl brought everyone to a halt.

"Looks like someone's home for supper." Peering into the darkness shrouding the tunnel, Dean tried to see the threat he knew would end up coming for them.

"How about we remove ourselves from the menu?" Glancing back at the three behind them, she looked up at Dean, keeping it quiet, "We'll never outrun it. Ideas, Fearless Leader?"

Hell, even without injured party members, they'd never have been able to outrun it. Literal life or death situation and she still had to be a smartass. He liked that about her, finding it to be one of her more endearing qualities. Meeting Sam's eyes above the heads of the others, Dean spoke just loud enough to be heard, "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

"Yeah." Sam answered, not fond of the idea he knew was ruminating in his brother's mind, "I think so."

"If you're thinkin' what I think you're thinkin'..." Taking a step back so she could see both Sam and Dean, she narrowed her eyes,"...then that train of thought needs to derail 'cause I don't like it."

Sure enough, they were thinking what she thought they were thinking and she didn't like that thought one damn bit.

"Alright, listen to me." Stepping out in front of the group, he addressed them all, semi-conscious Tommy aside, "You three stay with Skye and Sam, they'll get you outta here."

Coming up with some creative and colorful new curses that had never been heard before, Skye mostly managed to keep them inside her own head as Hailey asked, "What are you gonna do?"

Not answering, he turned and took several steps away into the shadows that shrouded the tunnel.

"Winchester..."

He looked back at the sound of Skye calling him.

"You die and I'll kill you."

Ah, Winchester logic. Infiltrating even those who weren't actually Winchesters yet.

"You owe me pancakes." He grinned before turning and sprinting off, quickly getting lost in the darkness around them, his voice echoing off the stone walls as he shouted, trying to draw the creatures attention to him and away from the others to give them time to get out, "It's chow time, you fuckin' bastard!"

Because insanity.

"Yeah, that's right. Bring it on, baby! I taste good!"

"I bet you do." She didn't even try to keep from being heard, knowing there was no way Dean could hear it and not caring if the others did, "Shut up, Sam."

"Didn't say a thing."

"You were thinkin' it."

That's true, he really was.

The growls grew distant, following Dean's voice, muffled enough now to have trouble making out whatever smartass nonsense he was undoubtedly yelling.

Pivoting around at the same time, Skye and Sam worked together as if they'd known each other and least a month, maybe even two, and not just a week. Taking point, weapon up, Sam lead the way with Skye taking up the rear, urging the group to move faster.


	14. Chapter 13

Dean's voice echoed and bounced off the rock walls around him as he continued making as much of a racket as he could, hoping his possibly suicidal plan was working. There was really no way to know for sure.

"Hey! You want some white meat, bitch!" Moving quickly, he put as much distance as he could between himself and the people he was trying to protect. Slowing to a stop, he turned slowly, trying to catch the sound of a growl of the blur of movement but there was nothing, "I'm right here!"

The silence pressing in on him grew louder with every second that ticked by, the darkness more oppressive as his heart rate started to creep up. This wasn't working. It wasn't coming after him like he'd hoped. It was going after the more vulnerable prey.

Freezing for a moment, he clicked through the short list of possibilities, zeroing in on the most likely snack the creature would go after. Tommy was the obvious choice, wounded and trailing blood...but Tommy was surrounded. Ben and Hailey were glued to his side. Three at once would be too much for an opportunistic predator, at least at first. Sam, well Sam was almost as big as the Wendigo and the biggest threat, the least likely for it to go after. Which left Skye.

She'd take the rearmost position, falling behind the others. She was the smallest, the easiest to grab… Cursing vehemently, Dean took off, moving fast and silent, a solid departure from his noisy performance of a few minutes before.

* * *

Growls and snarls echoed off the rock face around them, a grim announcement that they weren't alone. Sam tried to pick up the pace but it was difficult with a severely wounded man slowing them down. The entrance wasn't far but no way they going to make it.

Dean's distraction hadn't worked, the Wendigo apparently deciding the mouthy man was more trouble than he was worth. Probably an accurate assumption. At the very least, he would likely have caused the thing terrible indigestion. Pausing, Sam turned back to get Skye's attention, catching her eye as another growl resonated around them. Sliding around the three siblings, Sam kept his voice low, "It's close. They're not going to make it."

"Agreed." No way to really disagree with that unless you were delusional, which Skye, at the moment, was not. She had a pretty good idea what he was going to say next and she cut him off before he could try, forcing the words out in spite of the terror vibrating inside, "Take them and get the hell outta here. I'll stand here and try to slow it down."

"You go." Sam looked at her like she was stupid, which he knew damn well she wasn't, "I'll give you as much time as I can."

"Sam, that's retarded." Like, you'd legitimately have to have a severe developmental delay to think that was a good idea. Dropping all pretense of humor, she didn't try to hide how scared shitless she really was, "You can keep them alive, I can't. Therefore, I am expendable."

Giving him a shove toward the others, she tried her best to get him moving. Which was about as effective as a toddler trying to move a sumo wrestler in that it wasn't. At all, "Skyler-"

There's no way to tell how long they would have fought about it or what the ultimate outcome would have been as the decision was taken out of their hands. With a heart-stopping roar, the creature stepped out of the shadows. Not there one second and looming out of the darkness the next, effectively cutting off Sam and Skye from the others.

The thing was tall, a good eight feet, and thin. Painfully thin. Patchy white fur covered dark skin. The stench of death and decay was suffocating. Its eyes were the worst, bright red and far from sane.

It was hungry and it wanted its pantry restocked.

Seeing his opportunity, Sam took it. Raising the flare gun, he took aim and fired. Unfortunately, the creature that had once been a man saw it coming, moving in a blur of motion too quick to catch. Grabbing the now empty flare gun out of Sam's hand, he crushed it like a soda can before picking Sam up and throwing him across the tunnel like a ragdoll it no longer cared to play with. Hitting the wall behind the monster, Sam landed heavily, the breath knocked out of him.

Struggling to sit up as Ben ran over to give him a hand, Sam shrugged him off and got to his feet, "Skye!"

Eyes glued to the thing in looming menacingly in front of her, she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. It was smiling.  _Smiling._ It was having  _fun_  with this. That went from terrifying to pants-wetting horror real damn quick. Though thankfully that didn't actually happen. Taking a slow step back, she tried to speak, somehow managing to get the words out on the third try, "Sam, take them and go."

She was inordinately proud of the fact that she didn't stammer or waver. Her voice clear and even. Mostly. Well, close enough that that was how she'd choose to remember it if she lived beyond the next five minutes. Let's be honest, that was looking less and less likely.

She could see Sam standing behind it, wanting to argue before realizing there was no way he could win. There was nothing he could do. Cursing, he spun around, yelling at the others to fucking run before it changed its mind.

Holding up the flare gun, she opened her hand and let it drop to the ground at her feet, showing the creature she wasn't an immediate threat. If Sam couldn't make the shot from ten feet away, no way in hell she could, she'd just piss it off. This thing was scary smart and she didn't want to die any faster than necessary. Where there's life, there's hope. Or some such bullshit.

Taking a slow step back, she couldn't help but shudder when the beast kept pace with her. Raising its nose to sniff the air, it grinned at her like it smelled dessert after a three-course meal. Did she really smell like honeysuckle? Weird. Needing a minute to think, she reverted to what she did best…

"So you were human once, huh? Must have been a long ass time ago. Betting you haven't bathed in all that time either 'cause, man..sorry, dude, but you reek." Wrinkling her nose, she took another step back. Growling, the thing advanced slowly, looking a little cranky and Skye made a leap based purely on intuition, "You don't just mimic human speech...you can understand it, can't you."

Good to know for future reference, maybe she could let someone in on it by writing it in her own blood as it gnawed on her ankles.

"So, I bet you had a name once. What was it Rumplestiltskin? Nah, too obvious. Sally? Suzie? Tiffany? Maybe it's Oscar because, seriously dude, you look like a Jim Henson reject." A glimmer of an idea rotated in the back of her mind as she took another slow step back. Another slow step back, the idea solidifying in her mind. ...maybe. It was a long shot, and she had to keep the things attention until she was sure…, "Have you been to Hoth lately by chance?"

Star Wars jokes? Now? Really? Yeah, she just got the nerd crown back for sure.

Growling at her, it ran a clawed hand across the rock face as it advanced, sparks flying from the tips of its claws as it left deep gouges in the wall.

Shuddering, she tried not to think about those claws ripping through her skin. Her bones. Tearing her up piece by piece.

"Have you considered a manicure?" Another slow step back, the faint but distinct sound of fabric against stone behind her, "I think a nice spa day would really do you a world of good."

Oh, she definitely had a plan.A terrible, stupid, idiotic plan that relied entirely too much on her own memory and someone else reacting exactly like they were supposed to. Relied on trusting her life to someone else.

One more step backward as she kept up a steady stream of chatter. Oh Christ, Winchester, you had better be where I think you are.

She almost couldn't bring herself to do it. One little miscalculation on her part and game over folks. If he didn't come through...if she misstepped…

Of course, if she did nothing she'd end up hanging in the pantry, dying by mouthfuls. In the end, it really wasn't a hard choice at all. Taking a final step back, she disappeared from view, dropping straight into the hole Sam and Ben and fallen through earlier.

Rising from where he'd been hidden, Dean took his shot the instant she vanished, leaving his line of sight wide open. Her smartass chatter had kept it from noticing him, letting him take it completely by surprise.

The flare caught the thing in the chest, a perfect heart shot. Rearing back, the Wendigo roared in pain, the sound deafening in the close confines of the tunnel. Pawing at its chest, it tried desperately to snuff out the flame as the flare burned through fur, through skin, burrowing deep inside the monster and turnings its heart to cinders. The rest of it followed soon after, turning to ash and disintegrating in front of Dean's eyes.

"Skye!" Dropping the flare gun, he crossed the space between him and the hole in the tunnel, dropping to a knee, hoping not to see her possibly broken body on the ground twenty feet below. That would suck beyond words. Breathing a deep sigh of relief, he stepped around to give her a hand as she started to pull herself up. Grasping her wrists, he hauled her out, setting her on her feet and giving her a once over, "You okay?"

"Peachy." Running a hand over her face, she winced as the splinters digging into her skin caught her attention. Wonderful. Looking up at the man who'd just managed to save her life, she let a slow grin spread across her lips, "Nice timing, Winchester."

"Yeah, not bad." Grinning back down at her, "So moderate antipathy, huh?"

"Okay, maybe mild aversion." Yeah, that was convincing, "I think you earned those pancakes."

"Damn fuckin' right I did."


	15. Chapter 14

Slowed by Tommy's injuries, the group wasn't far and it didn't take long for the two of them to catch up. They seemed quite happy, and let's face it, damn surprised to see them both alive and mostly unscathed. Dean's previous injuries notwithstanding. Which he spent the entire hike back playing up to get as much sympathy as possible.

The hike itself took twice as long as the one in, though not as long as it could have if Sam and Dean hadn't fashioned a litter out of tree branches and tent canvas with Skye paying close attention in case she ever had to do it at some point in the future.

As soon as they got close enough for cell reception, Dean called in the paramedics who met them less than a mile from where they'd left the car. All in all, it had been a very long but rather productive day. Two days? Eh, something like that.

Darkness had fallen by the time they made it back, the paramedics loading Tommy up before examining the other wounded. Namely Dean. Cleaning him up, they took away his sympathy card when they pronounced him good enough.

Everyone had to give statements to local law enforcement, which was fun. No, wait, what's the opposite of fun?

Sam was giving his statement with Ben corroborating, the last two to talk to the Park Rangers and the cops, the whole area buzzing with two dozen different agencies and emergency personnel.

Sitting on the hood of the Impala, Skye winched as Dean dug the splinters out of her hands. She'd slammed her full weight onto her hands when she'd dropped and they were buried pretty deep. Also the opposite of fun. He'd had to borrow a pair of tweezers from the paramedics, though a couple of them required a knife blade.

"Ow!" She twitched as he got another one, "Dick."

There was no heat in her voice, no real insult. At this point, they were mostly past that. Mostly.

"Well if you'd sit still, it wouldn't hurt as much." Looking up, he dropped the splinter he'd extracted into her open palm, "Bitch."

Turning, they both smiled at Hailey as she walked up, "I just-I really don't know how to thank you."

A slow, suggestive smile spread across Dean's lips, strongly hinting that he could think of a few things before he looked over at Skye. Old habits die hard. Offering Hailey his hand, he managed a non-lecherous look, "Just glad we could help."

Holding out her hands, palms up, Skye used the splinters as an excuse to avoid touching the young woman, "I'd shake hands but...ow. Ben has my number. Keep me updated and let me know how Tommy does."

"I will." Hailey agreed, glancing behind her as a paramedic called time to go, "I hope you find your father, Dean."

With a last smile, she turned and walked back to the ambulance, looping an arm around Ben's shoulders and hugging him tight, they joined their brother on the way to the hospital.

"What about your father, Tink?" Leaning against the car as Sam joined them, Dean gave voice to his curiosity, "You've never mentioned him, I don't think."

"No idea. He ran off with my science teacher when I was nine." Shrugging, face and hands clearly expressing 'fuck if I know', "Too bad too, Mr. Donahue was a great teacher. Last I heard he was in Tijuana, but that was years ago."

It took the boys a minute to process that bit of information, identical 'huh' looks dawning on their faces at exactly the same time. Yeah, no way they were related.

They moved, each taking up a position on either side of Skye, flanking her in what was becoming a habit. Sitting quietly, they watched the ambulance drive off and the various agencies start to disperse.

"Man." Breaking the silence, Dean shook his head slowly, "I hate camping."

"Me too." Sam was in firm agreement on that one.

They both looked at Skye.

"What?" She looked back, giving them each a look like they were nuts, "You think I enjoyed that? I think it goes without saying that I agree with the sentiment."

Another long silence, again broken by Dean as he reached around Skye to grip Sam's shoulder, using it as an excuse to drop his hand onto Skye's shoulder afterward, "Sammy, you know we're gonna find Dad, right?"

Nodding slowly, he held out a hand, "But in the meantime...I'm driving."

Digging in his pocket, Dean produced the keys, tossing them to Sammy before all three of them slid off the hood. Opening the passenger side door, Dean took on an overly-thoughtful look, "You know, I believe I am owed some pancakes."

"Funny." Reaching into the inner pocket of her jacket, Skye pulled out two $10s and a $20, "I have this $40 I got from someone that was stupid enough to be met. And lose. Again. I think it could be used to purchase pancakes."

Chuckling, Sam folded himself into the driver's seat, shutting the door behind him and waiting patiently for the other two to get their asses in gear.

Stopping Skye before she could open the back door, Dean inclined his head toward the front, "You know...you're fuckin' tiny. There's more than enough room in the middle if you wanna ride up front with the cool kids."

Hesitating with her hand on the door handle, she thought about it, wondering if she could handle being squeezed between the two behemoths for so long. You know what, fuck it, life is short. Shrugging, she stepped up and flashed Dean one of those melted-chocolate smiles before climbing in and sliding over to claim the spot in the middle, much to Sam's surprise. He didn't seem to mind any though as she smiled at him, too, "Dean wants an excuse to sit next to me."

"Why the hell would I wanna do that?" He didn't even pretend not to hear her as he got in and shut the door.

He was right though, there was plenty of room for all three of them on the leather bench seats of that '67 Chevy Impala.

Sometimes three's not a crowd.

Sometimes it's a family.

"...Star Wars jokes. Really, Tink?"


	16. Epilogue

_The Personal Journal of Skye Winchester_

_There you have it, folks, my first encounter with a real bump-in-the-night monster. The first time I trusted Dean with my life. The first time I felt what it was to be part of a family, to be accepted, flaws and all._

_I've given it a lot of thought lately and I think I can honestly say, even with everything we've been through, it was worth every minute._


End file.
